State’s new restrictions explained
Victoria’s snap lockdown is ending but here are the new restrictions in place from Thursday.
Victoria
Picker shortage downgrades fruit
A shortage of pickers in the Goulburn Valley means fruit is maturing faster than it can be harvested, leading to losses as fruit is downgraded and dumped on the second-grade wholesale market.
Northern rivers a camping priority
See the list of rivers the Victorian Government wants to first open to camping. Farmers fear the impact on crown land water frontages that many have held grazing licences over for decades.
Positive travellers wearing garbage bags for privacy not PPE
Returned travellers infected with coronavirus are wearing garbage bags on their heads to conceal their identity as they move hotels. It comes as alternative quarantine arrangements are explored.
Cash bonus for Victorian jobseekers to work on farms
Victorian jobseekers will be able to access a new government-funded incentive to take up harvest work. Here’s what you need to know.
Reprieve for Victorians with five-day lockdown to end on time
Victoria has been given the all-clear for its snap lockdown to end at 11.59pm on Wednesday, barring a last-minute spike in coronavirus cases.
Poll: Are duck hunters being short-changed this season?
Victorian are angry about ongoing cuts to their bag limits. Are they being short-changed this season? VOTE NOW
Lockdown a setback but silver lining for flower industry
Not everyone within Victoria’s flower industry has been left reeling from a snap lockdown coinciding with Valentine’s Day.
Farm Pride to begin restocking after avian flu outbreaks
Agriculture Victoria has given the all clear to the ASX-listed egg producer to begin restocking its two farms struck by avian influenza last year.
Season turmoil could stop hunters saving wetlands
Duck hunters volunteer thousands of hours into rehabilitating Victoria’s 181 State Game Reserves. But that work could come to an abrupt end if the Andrews Government keeps cutting back the season and bag limits.
Chemical residue test results cover-up
Agriculture Victoria performs about 35,000 tests for agricultural chemicals on 350 to 400 samples of Victorian-grown fruit and vegetable each year. But they refuse to make them public, despite doing so in the past.
How much growers have paid for harvest workers
Victorian fruit growers are doing everything they can to secure workers for harvest, including paying “well and truly” above the award rate.
Bull price records tumble amid uncertain times
High demand for bulls is a certainty this autumn, with that being borne out in early season prices. But there much that is uncertain also, amid Victoria’s Stage Four coronavirus lockdown.
Vic lockdown throws country footy season in question
A return to country footy hangs in the balance as Victoria deals with a five-day lockdown, with guidelines released this month stating a cap on crowds and strict rules for canteens.
New exposure site emerges; Sutton defends snap lockdown
A fruit shop in Broadmeadows has been added to Victoria’s growing list of exposure sites. It comes as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the snap lockdown was not an over-reaction.
NAB quietly closes country banks
Six country towns will lose their branch of the National Australia Bank, after the finance giant lifted a moratorium on regional closures.
Why La Nina is to blame for an increase in pests
A La Nina weather pattern has brought the bugs with it to Victoria this summer. Here’s the advice for growers around the state.
Seasonal worker costs revealed
Victoria has finalised its $7.8 million plan to bring seasonal workers into the state. Here’s how much it will cost farmers to access.
Massive change at Marcus Oldham
The longstanding principal of one of Australia’s leading agricultural colleges has announced a huge change.
Rural Victoria’s top VCE schools revealed
A consistent high achiever and some tiny schools in farming towns are among regional and rural Victoria’s top performing schools in VCE 2020. See every school’s results here.
Meteor ‘explodes’ across Victorian skyline
Incredible footage has captured the moment an impressive meteor lit up the skies across Victoria. SEE THE FOOTAGE.
10 deadliest roads in Victoria
Victoria’s most dangerous major road has been revealed, with 27 people losing their lives in crashes in recent years.
Vic back in lockdown, second staffer worked while infectious
Victorians will be thrust into a “circuit breaker” lockdown from 11.59pm tonight as it’s revealed a second Melbourne Airport staffer worked while infectious.
State locked down but farming to go on
While the snap lockdown announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will profoundly affect most aspects of life in the state, for ag it’s mostly a case of business as usual.
Inside the decision to lock state down again
It’s believed that Thursday’s late-night crisis talks on whether Victoria should go back into lockdown were “heated”. This is how it went down.
Nationals buy website under rival MP’s name
Victoria’s state Nationals have been accused of publishing “highly misleading” propaganda after they bought a domain under MP’s name.
‘Madness’: Littleproud weighs in on manure debate
Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has weighed in on the Victorian debate of classifying farm manure as industrial waste.
New COVID cases take Holiday Inn cluster to 13
Another coronavirus case was confirmed late on Thursday taking the number of new cases in the past 24 hours to five. The Holiday Inn hotel quarantine cluster now stands at 13 cases.
How the autumn property market will perform
Experts have revealed how land prices will perform during the rural property market’s autumn selling season – and where the buyers will be coming from.
How land rights change will see property values fall
Farmers within cooee of Melbourne are being warned the Victorian Government’s move to strip them of land development rights will see their property values plummet. Just how much an expert says they will fall will shock you.
Holiday Inn outbreak grows, SA tightens Vic border
Melburnians will be banned from entering South Australia from midnight as the Holiday Inn quarantine hotel cluster grows and more exposure sites emerge.
Fall armyworm detected in Victoria
A pest native to the tropical regions of the Americas is now established in Australia, within just 12 months of its first detection.
Duck survey under wraps amid season cutbacks
Results of a helicopter survey of Victoria’s water birds have not been released, prompting hunters to ask why, especially given the duck season has been dramatically cut on two fronts.
EPA in the poo as farmers kick up a stink
Reclassifying manure in the same category of waste from factories has farmers worried they’re about to be tied up in red tape, writes Ed Gannon.
Farmer fury as manure is deemed industrial waste
Animal manure is about to be reclassified in Victoria from a valuable by-product to industrial waste. This is what it means for your farm.
Two new virus cases linked to Holiday Inn quarantine hotel
A traveller who had just completed 14 days of quarantine and a hotel worker are the latest positive coronavirus cases to emerge from the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport.
Looming fish kill prompts plea from fishers
All that’s needed is a scorcher of a day and northern Victoria’s Greens Lake will be choked with dead Murray cod and golden perch. But fishers say there’s something that can be done to stop that.
Sea Lake rail track work gets underway
Work has finally started on keeping the crumbling Sea Lake rail freight line open, but it falls short of what was promised. This is what is actually happening.
‘No one knew it was coming’: Tongala cow abattoir shuts
The livestock industry and local community have reacted to Greenham’s closure of its Tongala cow processing plant.
GMW’s unusual multi-million dollar spend
Irrigators spent 2019-20 battling to survive on low water allocations, while more than $1.2 million was spent on a refit of the executive headquarters.
Canadian cyclist found safe and well in Victoria
A Canadian tourist who disappeared a week ago during a bike ride across Victoria has been found alive and well.
Inspectors heading to Goulburn Valley farms
Orchards and packing sheds in the Goulburn Valley will soon be paid a visit by WorkSafe and Labour Hire Authority inspectors. Here’s what they’re looking for.
Testing boost after new hotel quarantine worker case
Coronavirus testing for hotel quarantine staff is set to increase as more than 100 people isolate after being linked to a new positive case in a quarantine hotel worker.
How AI is replicating the work of the honeybee
Israeli technology will be rolled out across almond orchards in Victoria to mimic the essential role of the honeybee. Here’s how it will work.
Victorians want to feel guilt-free about eating meat
Research – to guide a Victorian Government-funded pro-agriculture campaign – has revealed how consumers feel about the state’s farmers and what issues need to be addressed.
Duck hunters have wings clipped
Victoria’s duck hunting season has been slashed from 12 weeks to 20 days, drawing criticism from both hunting groups and animal activists.
Starving, sick horses euthanised following owner’s neglect
The RSPCA gave a Mildura man one chance to remedy the “appalling neglect” of his two horses but he couldn’t manage it, with devastating results.
Missing hiker found alive by police
A Dandenong boy who became lost while hiking in the Great Otway National Park has been found alive by police.
$20k stuff-up: Small business owner slams state government
Jaci Hicken will report the state government to the Ombudsman after it incorrectly gave her a $20,000 grant and later demanded it back.
Mask rules are here to stay, for now
No new coronavirus cases have been detected overnight, but face masks will remain mandatory indoors for some time. Health authorities also say the latest hotel quarantine outbreak isn’t yet ‘contained’.
Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/victoria/page/43