Pictured is NSW Upper House MP Sam Farraway who is speaking out about the axing of the GWH Project.

The Albanese Government’s announcement to completely axe the Great Western Highway (GWH) project has been met with great disappointment. 

Upper House MP Sam Farraway has gone ahead and slammed the decision by the Federal Labor government as narrow minded and has called on both levels of government to start standing up for the Central West. 

“The delay for this announcement has seen construction companies lay off staff across the country and with no ability to plan for the future all because the minister wanted to hide behind a fake review rather than come clean on her intentions. 

“The Great Western Highway was not a fantasy. The east and west sections were fully funded and would have made the travel over the mountains substantially safer, quicker and better connecting the east and west of NSW. 

“We’re elected to parliament to serve our communities no matter how they vote. I feel today’s decision was entirely political. NSW has four years until the next election so it’s no surprise that regional NSW had the biggest chunk of projects scrapped. 

“Labor, who are fixated on Western Sydney and have no experience in building road projects have completely taken us back 10 years with the scrapping of this project. I encourage everyone who drives this road regularly to share your thoughts on this decision directly to the local members of Parliament at both state and federal levels.” 

IMAGE: Demonstration sites for the Soil and Land program will be used to showcase different management techniques in restoring and improving identified erosion and dryland salinity sites.

Central West Local Land Services (LLS) is calling for expressions of interest from landholders who want to promote riparian restoration and soil health on their properties. 

The Riparian Restoration Program and Soil and Land Program are seeking locations to develop demonstration sites that will showcase environmental stewardship and how best to conserve our local ecosystems. 

Central West LLS Senior Land Services Officer Dominic Nowlan said the programs will enable landholders to restore and improve habitat and natural environments on farms to help protect priority species across the region. 

“Riparian areas are the zones adjacent to rivers, creeks and other water bodies. They play a crucial role in maintaining water quality, preventing erosion and supporting biodiversity” Mr Nowlan said. 

“Unfortunately, these areas are often subject to degradation due to stock access and over grazing. 

“Our Riparian Restoration Program aims to assist in raising awareness about the importance of riparian areas in the landscape and promote environmental stewardship practices. 

“The Soil and Land Program will focus on healthy soils that are crucial to the function of a healthy ecosystem and productive farming. 

“Due to the nature of our soils and some farming practices, our soils have become degraded. The most common soil degradation issues across our region are dryland salinity and erosion. 

Expressions of interest close 5.00pm December 3rd. 

Any Central West landholders interested in participating can contact Catie Guise on 0429 982 197 or Dominic Nowlan on 0409 915 695. 

A new project funded by the state government will give women in agriculture the chance to develop their own small business and skills training. The innovative Empowering Women in Farming Businesses project, delivered by NSW Farmers, does away with the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead gives local women a hand in designing their own development opportunities.

NSW Farmers Projects Manager Georgia Campbell said the aim was to establish formal networking and learning programs to connect women in small business – or who were looking to start a small business – specifically related to agricultural sectors.

“We know that no two country communities are alike, and what works in Moree may not be needed in Leeton, so it’s about partnering with locals and developing something that will deliver the biggest benefit,” Ms Campbell said.

“Women make an immense contribution to the agriculture sector, and we want to provide regional, rural and remote women with business-focused networking and skill development opportunities to further develop their confidence and support systems.

“We will be delivering between eight and 10 events next year, and we’re looking for interested communities/groups/prominent women to put their hands up to be involved and help shape these events.”

Options available will include skill-based workshops, networking events, and farm or business tours in their local region, which NSW Farmers would then organise and facilitate for the community. 

“By offering communities a choice of events, we believe they will be able to gain maximum benefit by selecting the option which most develops their targeted skills or networks,” Ms Campbell said.

Trundle’s recent Be Road Ready for Harvest Satellite Event.

Approximately 100 farmers and contract harvesters attended the recent Be Road Ready for Harvest Satellite Events in Bedgerabong, Parkes, Derriwong and Trundle.

The events were supported by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Transport for NSW, the Grain Transport Safety Network (GTSN), SafeWork NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW Farmers, the Australian Custom Harvesters Association, and the Parkes Show Society.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said anecdotal feedback from attendees was very positive, “Regulations are constantly changing, so events like these are important to ensure we provide information about how to safely and legally move agricultural machinery, combinations and trucks on the road network in the lead up to the busy harvest period.”

“We had presentations about Chain of Responsibility, conditional registration and primary producer concessions, GTSN’s updated resources, fire safety, SafeWork NSW safety reminders and resources, an overview of how heavy vehicle access operates and relevant compliance information.”

“The highlight of the morning was the interactive activity, where we showed participants how to read the relevant notice (National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice) to work out what the travel requirements would be for a header with a front, various sized tractors towing implements and an auger.

“Participants could take home some windscreen stickers that they can attach to their machinery that acts as a quick reference guide for travel requirements such as pilots, lights and signage – these were extremely popular.”

“Harvest USBs and windscreen stickers will be distributed to local agricultural machinery retailers and rural supply stores in October. Thanks to everyone involved in running the events and to everyone who attended,” Ms Suitor said.

Water flow to the site will continue for several weeks until the ponds are flooded to capacity.

The first drops of water have trickled into Parkes Wetlands, supplying the site for the first time in more than five years. While only a small portion of the total area has been flooded, waterbirds have already been observed returning to the wetland.

Parkes Wetlands will herald a new era for local birdwatching opportunities, ecotourism, and nature-based recreation. Parkes Shire Council is in the process of transforming a disused area close to town into a vital, thriving refuge for wetland-dependent species.

Once completed, the site will be an attractive and accessible public space for residents and visitors to connect with nature. The expected positive outcomes are wide-ranging and include benefits for regional biodiversity, the local and regional economy, public health, and social connection.

Planned future projects at the site will provide walking tracks, double-story bird hides, an amenities block, car parking, interpretive signage, cultural art and sculpture, over-water viewing platforms, and an outdoor learning space.

Local Parkes resident Andrew Tom has been monitoring birds at the site over many years. Mr Tom said some of the more notable visitors have included migratory shore birds that fly from regions as far north as Siberia. Historical bird records at the site include the Freckled Duck, Black-tailed Godwit, and Curlew Sandpiper, all listed as ‘threatened’ in NSW.

Central West Lachlan Landcare Chair Margot Jolly, a long-time advocate of the project, said she is thrilled to see Council develop an asset that will enhance important waterbird habitat. “Parkes and our surrounding region stand to benefit greatly from the rehabilitation of these wetlands” she said.

This project has been supported by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust, whose Restoration and Rehabilitation program assists community and government organisations to contribute to the ongoing sustainable management and stewardship of significant environmental assets and services in NSW.

Farmers around Australia have welcomed the Federal Treasurer’s announcement on tackling big business market power after the big two supermarkets posted enormous profits this week.

On Tuesday Coles announced a whopping $1.098 billion profit while Woolworths announced a mind blowing $1.62 billion profit on Wednesday. 

NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said it was very disappointing that every one of those dollars came out of an Australian’s pocket at a time when families were struggling to make ends meet, repeating calls for action from the federal government.

“Families are facing huge cost of living pressures while farmers are getting paid cents on the dollar for their produce, and the two biggest companies in the middle of the fresh food supply chain are getting fat,” Mr Martin said.

“Farmers have been consistently telling us they’re not getting paid anywhere near what the food they produce is retailing for, so it’s hardly surprising Coles and Woolworths are turning such eye-watering profits.

“No-one is saying Coles and Woollies can’t make a profit – it’s just the size of those profits during a cost of living crisis that is the issue,” Mr Martin said.

Sweeping paddocks of grain crops are a familiar sight across much of regional Australia, but how many stop to think that those crops end up in their sandwich or breakfast bowl?

In fact, the average Aussie wheat farmer produces enough grain to make 3 million loaves of bread and 2 million tins of Milo.

In the final week of a crusade to better connect consumers with where their food comes from – and to value that food – the NFF-led campaign under the Australians Farmers platform aims to connect those dots.

NFF President Fiona Simson, hoped the Australian Farmers campaign had opened people’s eyes to the work farmers invested into growing food sustainably.

“This week we’re putting the spotlight on a household staple – bread. It’s main ingredient, wheat, is also a staple in the farming world,” she said.

Australia produces 23 million tonnes of wheat each year. This is used in bread, pasta, pizza dough, cake, instant noodles, dumpling skins and even animal feed.

Bread is one of the most wasted foods in Australia, bread is too precious to waste, store it properly and learn what to do if it goes stale