China’s barley backdown a win for Mallee farmers

China’s agreement to drop 80 per cent tariffs on Australian barley is a win for Mallee farmers, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. The tariffs were introduced in May 2020 after Beijing accused Australia of selling the grain below the cost of production and subsidising farmers, however the Chinese Government announced they would be dropped…

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Regions miss out as Victoria axes funding

The Victorian Labor Government has robbed regional communities of potential Federal funding by axing the state’s Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund (RJIF), Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. The state funding of more than $100 million per year has been ripped away from regional communities, meaning councils can’t access the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program…

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Audit commenced on Round 6 of Mobile Black Spot program

The Australian National Audit Office will investigate the Albanese Labor Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program Round 6 funding after it targeted funding to Labor seats in the election and left electorates like Mallee out. In Victoria, Labor seats McEwen, Bendigo and Corangamite all benefitted from Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s hand-picked funding – while Mallee missed…

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New report highlights transmission waste

A damning new report has laid bare the cost blowout and waste of the Western Victoria energy transmission project, threatening prime Mallee farmland, Member for Mallee Anne Webster says. The Victoria Energy Policy Centre’s (VEPC) ‘No Longer Lost In Transmission’ report highlights the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) costs are understated by…

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Murray Darling Basin Plan delay must not mean buybacks

The Albanese Labor Government has rightly extended the Murray Darling Basin Plan deadline beyond 2024, but not without Water Minister Tanya Plibersek adopting a partisan approach. Member for Mallee Anne Webster said the Minister has not assisted the debate by using terms like ‘guerilla warfare’ and ‘sabotage’ in announcing the delay. “In her first briefings…

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Aged Care Summit findings an urgent priority

The closure of two regional Aged Care facilities is further proof the Federal Labor Government’s ham-fisted staffing changes are hurting the sector, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health Dr Anne Webster says. Mount Morgan’s Carinity Summit Cottages and Petrie Gardens Aged Care Service in Tiaro announced this week they will shut their facilities – displacing…

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