Battling stock theft a question for both Govt and producers

Posted: 21/05/2008 | The cattle industry is the best placed of any State to combat the age-old threat of stock theft, but the malaise of producers in reporting crime is its biggest hindrance. |

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Show scientists the money

Posted: 14/05/2008 | Congratulations to the CSIRO and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries for their actions this week in addressing the growing disinterest among students in pursuing careers in agricultural science. But their activities in peaking the interests of students in agricultural science must be viewed as just the start of a wider policy debate about how to both attract, and more importantly, retain the best and brightest minds available. |

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Maintain the council rage

Posted: 21/12/2007 | The people of Queensland may have spoken loud and clear that they don't want council amalgamations, but whether the State Government listens is another matter. The challenge now is to maintain the rage and the public pressure right through until the next election. What do you think? |

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Carpark birth another reminder of sad state of rural health

Posted: 12/12/2007 | The birth of a child in a rural hospital carpark, after the mother was refused admission due to the absence of a mid-wife, is yet another reminder of the sad state of rural health services in Queensland. What do you think? |

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New anger at council merger impact

Posted: 24/10/2007 | The State Government has been forced to defend its handling of council amalgamations on two new fronts, including a claim by the Local Government Association of Queensland that the process of merging shires will cost councils $200 million. What do you think? |

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Bush waves bye bye to Beattie

Posted: 10/09/2007 | Rural Queensland will not miss retiring Premier Peter Beattie, who has regularly angered the bush with a string of controversial policies. What do you think of his performance? |

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Strong leadership or blind faith?

Posted: 15/08/2007 | Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has displayed an uncharacteristic inflexibility in pursuing council amalgamations, doggedly holding the line in spite of the broader damage to the Labor Party. |

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Howard targets State to show he's listening

Posted: 7/08/2007 | Prime Minister John Howard has shown today that despite all the recent bad publicity, he is still an exceptional politician by splintering Labor on the issue of Queensland's council amalgamations. |

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Council mergers worse than expected

Posted: 27/07/2007 | Rural Queensland has been stunned by the recommendations of the Local Government Reform Commission, which are far worse than anyone expected. |

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Mulherin works from the grassroots up

Posted: 4/07/2007 | In his 18 months as Queensland's Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin has impressed many with his consultative approach, but has he delivered for rural Queensland? |

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Blueprint politics the Pitts

Posted: 30/05/2007 | Communities Minister Warren Pitt has some explaining to do, not just to rural Queensland, but also to his boss, Premier Peter Beattie, after using a Blueprint for the Bush advertisement to push a political line on council amalgamations. |

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Rural rents resolved at last

Posted: 25/05/2007 | The State Government has finally put an end to the contentious issue of rural leasehold rents, capping increases to a maximum of 20pc a year - but not everyone's happy. What do you think? |

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Carbon trading a must to counter clearing ban costs

Posted: 16/05/2007 | While the deficiencies of the land-clearing laws are not the making of current ministers for DPI and NRW, Tim Mulherin and Craig Wallace respectively, they now have the opportunity to remedy the situation. |

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Western Qld votes with its feet

Posted: 9/05/2007 | The anger in Western Queensland over the State Government's proposed amalgamations is growing by the day, as was evidenced by the 1500 people who protested in Barcaldine. |

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Beattie's plan to overhaul local councils

Posted: 18/04/2007 | Premier Peter Beattie has surprised Queensland's local governments by abandoning a negotiated process of reforming council structures, and creating a Local Government Reform Commission to draw up a new map of Queenland shires. It is expected this will lead to the formation of new 'super shires' through the merger of neighbouring local councils in a bid to make them financially stronger and their operations more efficient. |

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