They will be held in Finley at the Returned Soldiers Club on Monday, October 9 and in Tocumwal at Tocumwal Golf and Bowls Club on Tuesday, October 10. Both sessions will run between 1pm and 6pm and will work as drop-in sessions.
Berrigan Shire Council, along with Murray River, Edward River and Federation councils, are working in partnership to develop and deliver a regional drought resilience plan for the Southern Riverina.
The objective of the plan is to come up with practical solutions for addressing gaps in the ways communities prepare for and respond to drought.
Barley prices on the rise
The removal of tariffs on Australian barley by Chinese authorities has seen barley prices trend higher since the start of August, according to NAB’s September Rural Commodities Wrap.
Feed barley prices have increased to now be up to $340/tonne, compared with $294/tonne at the same time last month.
Australian wheat prices continued to broadly track sideways in August, having settled at around $400/tonne since late 2022, while canola prices edged up above $700/tonne in mid-August, before dropping back below this level in early September.
An environmental partnership
A commitment to work together for the health of the region’s natural environment has resulted in a partnership between government and agency, Traditional Owner, community and industry groups.
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Partnership Agreement 2023-27 has been signed by 38 organisations which will see them continue to work together to protect and improve the health of the Goulburn Broken catchment.
Goulburn Broken CMA chief executive officer Chris Cumming said a cooperative effort would result in improved outcomes for the environment.
“Partnerships are critical to the success of environmental health. They have been the base of natural resource management in the Goulburn Broken catchment for more than 25 years,” Ms Cumming said.
“The agreement helps the ongoing partnerships achieve more resilient landscapes and successful communities in the Goulburn Broken catchment. In turn, it supports Traditional Owners and the broader community to create a sustainable future for all generations to come.”
Almond grower underpaid staff
One of Australia’s largest almond growers and processors, Brownport Almonds Pty Ltd, has back-paid staff more than $500,000 and signed an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) with the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The company, trading under the Bright Light brand, operates a farm and processing facility in Hattah in Victoria’s north-west.
The Fair Work Ombudsman began investigating the company’s compliance with workplace laws in May 2021 after receiving requests for assistance from workers.
During the investigation, Fair Work inspectors found Brownport Almonds had been misclassifying its workers under the Horticulture Award, leading to underpayments.
In response, Brownport Almonds conducted a payroll audit covering 2016 to 2021, and earlier this year reported to the FWO that it had underpaid 197 current and former employees a total of $501,511, including superannuation, across the five-year period.
Most underpaid employees were employed on a full-time or casual basis in harvesting and production roles, including tractor and machinery operators and farm hands.
Individual back-payments range from $4 to almost $12,500. The average back-payment is about $2570.
Brownport Almonds has already back-paid the majority of employees, including current and former workers, and must back-pay all staff by the end of January 2024.
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