Our Journalists

Alexandra LaskieNational affairs reporter

Alexandra Laskie is The Weekly Times’ national affairs reporter, covering issues relevant to agriculture, regional and rural Australia. She is a member of the Canberra Press Gallery at Parliament House. Alexandra has worked at The Weekly Times since 2017. She has previously worked at The Age and numerous suburban newspapers across Melbourne.

@alexandracottee

Alexandra Laskie

Latest

Horticulture

Carl Young on his family's Red Gold vegetable farm at Wemen, which has achieved carbon-neutral status. Production line, Workers harvest lettuces on Red Gold's Wemen farm, and Andrew Young (below, left) with his sons, Carl, and Tim, wife Eleanor, and the Red Gold team., Pictures: Excitations/AusVeg

‘Tough out there in vegetable land’: Production up, but prices down

New ABS figures show vegetable farmers are producing more for less, continuing a trend of declining returns for growers.

Politics

19/01/21 Tui Mac from Vietnam picks parsley at Boratto Farms near Bacchus Marsh in Victoria Rae McFarlane's farm. Boratto Farms grows lettuce, parsley, rocket, spinach, etc, people cutting back parsley crop and chucking it away in hope they can properly harvest a second growth with trained seasonal workers. Aaron Francis/The Australian

First Vietnamese PALM workers to arrive ‘late 2025’

Vietnamese workers are being recruited to work on farms in Australia later this year. The workers were expected to arrive towards the end of the year, with recruitment currently underway.

Cropping

Western Australia has experienced more than a decade of drought and tough seasons, and farmers in its vast wheat belt are in trouble. In photo grain grower Brian Reed on his Hillview Farm in Bilbarin WA (approx 250 km east of Perth, or 30 km north-east of Corrigin). Brian has been a farmer for over 40 years and the past three years has been the hardest on record for him. Two of his three farms are now for sale.

Grain growers call for levy review as GRDC reserves climb

There is growing discontent within the grains industry that the Grains Research and Development Corporation is amassing a large cash reserve kept within Treasury coffers.

Politics

Bendigo Youth Crime. Andrew Lethlean Federal National Candidate

Nationals urge star candidate Andrew Lethlean to run for Bendigo East

The party is hoping the popular Bendigo publican can win the seat off Premier Jacinta Allan next year.

Politics

Minister Julie Collins member for Franklin votes at Lindisfarne Primary School booth. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Government looks for biosecurity funding ‘policy solution’ after levy axing

The biosecurity protection levy was shelved in February, forcing the Albanese Government to look for other revenue raising sources.

Horticulture

‘Regulated to death’: Food security strategy must review farmers’ red tape burden

Some farmers are being audited six times a year, with each one almost exactly the same, the NFF Horticulture Council says.

Politics

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - MAY 13, 2025: Don Farrell attends the first Cabinet meeting with the newly sworn in Ministry at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Less than 10pc of cattle producers eligible to export to EU, despite deal nearing closure

The federal government said only a few thousands cattle producers had the necessary accreditation to export to the EU.

News

Grain growers chip in to $1 billion war chest

Grains Research and Development Corporation will soon have more than $1.027 billion in reserves. So what are they doing with it?

Livestock

US tariffs: Marles says Biosecurity ‘front and centre’ despite review

Australia’s billion-dollar cattle industry is concerned they could be the pawn in trade talks with the US, amid reports import rules could be relaxed.

Livestock

1st March 2023: Sheep in pins awaiting loading on trucks bound for port, for live export at Peel Feedlot, Mardella, WA. Philip Gostelow/The Australian

New powerhouse of the live sheep export trade revealed

The EU dominated the live sheep trade only three years ago, but two African countries have recently ratcheted up their demand.

Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/journalists/alexandra-laskie