The Labor Government’s incentives to lure metropolitan workers to regional Western Australia are too little, too late to help a State agricultural sector reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions. The Nationals WA Leader Mia Davies said the Premier and Minister for Agriculture had failed to grasp the scale of the issue farmers and growers…
The Nationals WA say the Labor Government has missed a golden opportunity to decentralise the agency tasked with managing the State’s primary industry and regional development portfolios. Today it was announced the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) would be moved to a CBD location with some laboratory–based roles remaining at the current…
Member for Agricultural Region Colin de Grussa has urged the Federal Government to ramp up negotiations to solve the barley export impasse with China and save WA grain growers from being collateral damage in an international trade dispute. Mr de Grussa, The Nationals WA agriculture spokesperson, said China’s import suspension of barley from WA’s CBH…
The Nationals WA have welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to potentially establish two Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs in regional WA, saying it will be a boost for farmers striving to adapt to a drying climate. Agriculture spokesperson Colin de Grussa wrote to Federal Minister David Littleproud in July calling for a hub to…
The Nationals WA have called for the State Minister for Agriculture to secure a deal to bring 200 New Zealand shearers into Western Australia to ensure wool production isn’t curtailed by a critical skills shortage. Agriculture spokesperson Colin de Grussa said border closures would prevent international and interstate workers from coming to WA to help…
The Nationals WA have lashed out at the State Labor Government’s WA Recovery Plan for treating agriculture as an afterthought. Member for Roe, Peter Rundle, said after suffering the lowest rainfall in recorded history, farmers and communities in the Great Southern were doing it tough, and called on the State Government to provide better support…
The Nationals WA have called on the Federal Government to establish a research and innovation hub in Western Australia to help farmers and regional communities become more drought prepared. Last week the Federal Government announced two Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs would be established in regional Australia, funded by $20.3 million from the Future…
The Nationals WA have called on the Premier to intervene and scrap the Department of Fire and Emergency Service’s (DFES) new code of conduct which gags volunteers from communicating with State and Federal Members of Parliament. The mandatory code of conduct was announced this week by the emergency services commissioner and would require all of…
The Nationals WA member for Agricultural Region Colin de Grussa has called on the Labor Government to prioritise the use of local regionally-based travel agencies when booking air travel across the State. Mr de Grussa said under the Labor Government’s common user contracting arrangements, State agencies were compelled to book their travel through a Queensland…
The Nationals WA have accused the State Government of introducing “carrot and stick” legislation to increase penalties for criminal trespass at the cost of farmers being subjected to severe scrutiny. Agriculture spokesperson Colin de Grussa said Animal Welfare and Trespass Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 had muddied the waters between two separate and distinct challenges for…