Environment
Climate change differences for farmers by state
17 April
The way the changing climate will impact different farming regions of Australia has been outlined in a new report from Rural Bank. The agricultural bank has released its first climate report for primary producers, providing an in depth look at what...[Read More]
Tougher laws call to back new environment watchdog
17 April
A new national environment watchdog won’t be enough to stop mass extinctions in Australia unless it is supported by fully-fledged law reform, conservation groups say. World Wildlife Fund Australia chief executive Dermot O’Gorman says the...[Read More]
Australia forecast to become a carbon credit factory
11 April
Australia is at a “critical stage” in how it achieves net-zero carbon emissions as the federal government prepares to set a tougher 2035 target. A carbon market industry report released on Wednesday forecasts Australia will become one of the...[Read More]
Parts of Great Barrier Reef insulated from bleaching
10 April
Mass bleaching could impact deeper parts of the Great Barrier Reef if rising temperatures are not curbed, scientists say. The reef is experiencing its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years, due to heat stress. University of Queensland and...[Read More]
Farewell El Nino, say hello to La Nina
3 April
The rain soaking large parts of Australia may well continue across winter with predictions that changes in the climate is indicating a wet La Nina. The Bureau of Meteorology declared an El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean in September last year with...[Read More]
Middle of the road: compromise for utes, SUVs in rules
28 March
Utes and large SUVs will not have to be as green as expected under changes to vehicle efficiency standards, which one automaker said would put Australia in the “middle of the pack” on a global basis. Transport Minister Catherine King and Energy...[Read More]
Local champions no small potato in net zero transition
27 March
Tonnes of potatoes boiled with recycled heat, milk and cheese waste transformed into fuel and timber milled with the power of the sun. That is how food producers and major industries across regional Australia are taking small steps towards...[Read More]
Magpies in survival mode due to climate change, noise
20 March
Magpies are struggling under the combination of climate change and human noise, researchers say. A new study from the University of Western Australia examined how hotter temperatures and loud man-made noises impacted WA’s magpies, both separately...[Read More]
Farmers fear for future as supermarkets crunch costs
13 March
Producers and farmers warn of a mass exodus from the agriculture industry because of the low prices being paid for their goods by major supermarkets. A Senate committee examining supermarket prices has held hearings on Tuesday at Orange in the NSW...[Read More]
Clean Up Australia going strong
6 March
More than 750,000 Australians have donned gloves and cleaned our beaches, rivers and parks in the nation’s largest community environment event. Besides full garbage bags, many first-time Clean Up Australia Day volunteers will carry away a fresh...[Read More]
Some green shoots ahead for agricultural production
6 March
Agricultural production values are expected to rebound slightly with forecasts of recovering livestock prices. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences said a small increase in agricultural production of up to six...[Read More]
Screening research boosts disease resistance for crops
28 February
Identifying new genes in plant pathogens and boosting security within crops is one step closer following a rapid screening platform developed by the CSIRO. The rapid-gene screening platform can identify new avirulence (Avr) effector genes in plant...[Read More]
Australia’s first hydrogen tractor to be trialled
28 February
Australia should have its first hydrogen tractor by the middle of the year as part of a $50 million investment in sustainable agriculture research. The tractor, which is being procured from Europe, will be tested in an Australian landscape under a...[Read More]
Australia needs to ‘back’ itself as agri tech leader
21 February
Australia doesn’t promote itself enough as a world leader in agricultural technology, a major agri food tech conference has been told. “We don’t actually back ourselves,” the founder of agritech start-up Goterra Olympia Yarger has told...[Read More]
Climate risk assessment based on dream 1.5C scenario
14 February
Australia’s first climate risk assessment will be based on a scenario well below the current trajectory of a “hellish” 3C rise in global temperatures. The assessment has been billed a crucial part of Australia’s climate change response. It...[Read More]