Ag white paper commits to clearer country of origin labelling

6 July: The Australian Government underlined its commitment to improved country of origin labelling to help consumers make informed choices about the origin of the food they eat with the release of the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper. Considerable public interest in the issue made it clear that consumers wanted to know whether the products they were buying were sourced locally or from overseas.

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Securing Australia’s water supply for the future

5 July 2015: The Australian Government has set up a National Water Infrastructure Development Fund with $500 million for water infrastructure, including dams, through the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper. An allocation of $50 million will support the planning necessary to decide on viable projects for investment, and $450 million was available to construct water infrastructure in partnership with states and territories.

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ACCC to champion agribusiness transparency

5 July 2015: The Australian Government has acted on concerns raised by farmers about supply chain transparency during the consultation phase of the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper. The white paper commits $11.4 million to establish an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Commissioner dedicated to agriculture as well as supporting capability at the ACCC concerned with agriculture supply chain issues.

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Bright future for coal

Queensland’s coal industry has a bright future, built on the back of continuing strong demand from Japan, China and India. And with this bright future comes continued prosperity and jobs for the people of the Mackay region.However, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche says green activists continue their unrelenting bid to shut down Queensland’s fossil fuel sector, also without a care for the jobs and prosperity this sector brings to resources hubs such as Mackay.He told me this week: “My prediction of a bright future might seem like an overly buoyant appraisal in the current climate, however our coal companies are preparing for the next inevitable upturn.

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Extreme green antics and the effects on Bowen

Bowen Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Hedditch reckons the Bowen community has had enough of the antics of green activists who sought to use the Abbot Point expansion project for their own ends. Here’s what he had to say:“The community is very upset with what’s happening with the delays. They’ve been going on for such a long time and we seem to be a political football when it comes to Abbot Point. This is not about Abbot Point - it relates purely to coal development.“They’re telling mistruths. It’s about time those people stepped aside; they’ve had a fair go with their objections to the development, and they’ve been defeated every time.

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Talking about tax breaks for extreme greens

THIS Question and Answer session with my parliamentary colleague Alex Hawke provides some information regarding the Inquiry into the Register of Environmental Organisations which I am involved with. What this is really about is questioning the ability of millionaires and others having the ability to get a generous tax break when they donate to environmental groups who want to see the demise of the industry this region depends on.

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Community input on Ice handed to Taskforce

THE valuable feedback gathered during two Ice Forums held in Mackay and Bowen this month has been officially handed over to the head of the Abbott Government’s Ice Taskforce.I met with Taskforce chairman Ken Lay, the former Victorian Police Chief Commissioner, in Canberra last week to present the findings from two very productive and frank discussion forums to gather information about the extent of the ice problem in our region.

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Agriculturalists fall victim to green activist groups

THOSE in the cane industry have also fallen victim to attacks by green activists on numerous occasions in recent years. Another recent attack from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) again pointed the finger at “polluted run-off from agriculture”. However those most closely associated with the industry can point to significant change in practices which not only serve to protect the natural environment but also produce better outcomes for growers.

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Green activists killing jobs on your taxes

Anti-coal activists are attacking jobs and industry and they are doing it at taxpayer expense. A Federal Government inquiry will investigate how green groups are able to take advantage of a tax privilege to prosecute their ideological agendas.If you care about jobs in Mackay and Bowen and further afield, if you care about projects that will inject huge amounts of money and confidence back into our region, then you should also be rightfully angry about the actions of these extreme greens. They pretend they’re saving the reef, but it’s not about the reef at all. It’s about destroying the coal industry, and your jobs and our economy along with it.

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Taskforce recommends Sugar Code of Conduct

THE ABBOTT Government’s Sugar Marketing Code of Conduct Taskforce will today recommend to Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson that a mandatory Code of Conduct be adopted for the sugar industry.The overarching fact is cane growers operate in markets which are not truly free, as they are, by and large, forced to sell their product to a single monopoly miller.The overreach by millers, in seeking to further entrench a lack of competition in the market by monopolising the marketing of sugar had caused widespread anxiety about the future of the industry.

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Pitt, stop your buck passing

I HAVE just one simple question for State Labor Government ministers who can’t seem to get their stories straight as they play the blame game on the approvals process for Adani’s massive mine, rail and port project.Gentlemen, can you rehearse your lines, but most importantly, where is the Environmental Impact Statement?”Yesterday the Queensland Labor Treasurer Curtis Pitt wanted to lay the blame for approval delays on the Federal Government, while the office of his Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham confirmed that the State Coordinator-General was still assessing Adani’s further application for port facilities at Abbot Point and a number of rail-related applications.

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State needs to act on Adani projects

A MEDIA report that the Indian mining giant Adani has suspended all engineering work on its multi-billion dollar mine, rail and port project in the Galilee Basin highlights the need for the State Labor Government to get all environmental processes finalised as soon as possible.A spokesperson for Adani has confirmed to me that they were not pulling out of the massive project.However they also stated they have lost appetite for any other substantial delays to their project.

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Singapore FTA clear on anti-competitive behaviour

THE Singapore Free Trade Agreement very clearly makes provision for measures such as a proposed Code of Conduct, or amendments to the state-legislated Sugar Act.I am outlining the relevant sections of the Singapore FTA in response to media claims that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has urged Queensland Government representatives to vote against proposals by the Liberal National Party and Katter’s Australia Party to make changes to the Queensland Sugar Act.I can confirm that I have personally spoken with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and received an assurance from her that she has never insinuated or inferred that a proposed sugar marketing code of conduct, nor any changes to the state-legislated Sugar Act, would breach any Free Trade Agreement or World Trade Organisation rules.

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Northern door opens for investment

TODAY’S launch of the Northern Australia White Paper opens the door for industry-supporting projects like the Walkerston bypass and the Urannah Dam.The White Paper: Our North, Our Future, outlined a framework for supercharging the economy of North Queensland, the Northern Territory and the northern half of Western Australia.From mining and agriculture to tourism and services, the Government will be fostering and investing in industries to help the north prosper and grow.

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Survey shows extent of Ice use among young

INITIAL responses to an Ice Forum being held in Mackay indicate that use of the drug is widespread among young people, and it’s easily available.The youth organisation YIRS have conducted an anonymous survey among the young people they work with and the results were quite staggering.14 out of the 15 young people who participated in the survey were either using or had tried Ice.They also pointed out it was ‘easy to buy on social media’.

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Have your say on country of origin labelling

YOU can have your say on clearer country of origin food labelling by taking part in an online survey which will help inform the design of the Australian Government’s new labelling system.People have been telling me loud and clear that they want more useful food labelling.There are calls for the precise percentage and origin to be stipulated and I know that is an issue being grappled with.The government is also looking to use electronic platforms to provide more comprehensive product information to consumers as only a limited amount of information can fit on food labels.

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People should dictate marriage

Marriage is a cultural institution and culture is something that is determined by the people, not by politicians.I don’t think it should be up to 200 or so politicians in Canberra to make cultural decisions.That's why I am calling for a national plebiscite on a proposal to change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

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