Energy Policy
Policy Position Australia’s national energy policies must deliver affordable, reliable, secure and increasingly lower emission energy to households, businesses and industries. Energy policy needs to be focused on an efficient and smooth transition through a period of significant technological change. This policy statement is complementary to the three NFF policy positions Climate, Electricity and Mining […]
Consultation on streamlining regulation of agricultural and veterinary chemicals
Australian farmers need a system of chemical regulation and registration that facilitates the introduction of new chemicals onto the Australian market in a timely and cost efficient manner. The NFF commends the Government on their commitment to this process and would support passage of the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 through Parliament.
Regional Telecommunication Review
The NFF consider reliable broadband and telephone services as not only essential for survival in the Australian bush, they are also crucial to the creation of new opportunities in agriculture. State-of-the-art tools such as Big Data and fast internet greatly increase on-farm productivity by enabling farmers to digitally analyse soil moisture, meteorological records and satellite […]
Consumer safeguards review – Part A – Redress and complaints handling
Rectifying telecommunication services issues for regional, rural and remote customers is challenging. Those tasked with resolving the issue are often not cognisant of the unique nature and challenges of utilising telecommunication services in rural and remote Australia nor do they have the technical or product expertise to resolve the issue due to the unique technology […]
Effluent and Load Restrain Discussion Paper
The livestock industry understands the importance of managing livestock effluent on public roadways to ensure road safety, animal welfare, biosecurity, amenity, environmental and business interests. The industry continually works to improve these outcomes and supports any initiatives that facilitates positive change along industry supply chains. It is unrealistic to expect there be absolutely no effluent […]
Safety assurance for automated driving systems consultation regulation impact statement
NFF highlighted that the consultation paper is highly focused on passenger vehicles in metropolitan/urban areas, and would suggest that the scope of this and future inquiries be extended to include rural and remote areas as well as a broader range of vehicles. The potential for driverless vehicles (and other farm machinery) to revolutionise the way […]
Review of the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST)
The NFF considers the provision of television services, both from national public broadcasters and commercial providers, are essential for the general liveability and wellbeing of rural, regional and remote Australians. The NFF considers it appropriate that the Australian Government funds the services given commercial viability and alternate delivery mechanisms are not possible in the areas […]
NBN rules regarding consumer information & service continuity
The NFF welcomes the stated goal of the Consumer Information Standard to improve the quality and consistency of information provided to consumers about NBN services. It is crucial to ensure that consumers are provided with accurate information to make informed choices when signing up to NBN services. The NFF has been provided with evidence that […]
Accessibility and quality of mental health services in rural and remote Australia
The NFF asserts that all Australians should have equitable access to appropriate health services, regardless of their geographical location. As such, funding models for rural health should ensure equity of access to health professionals and recognise the higher costs of operating in regional, rural and remote areas. Currently there is a significant lack of access […]
Proposed approach to spray drift management
Preventing spray drift is an essential aspect of using agricultural chemicals responsibly. The NFF is supportive of the aims of the APVMA’s proposed spray drift management approach to enable more reasonable buffer zones to be set; provide clearer label instructions and increased flexibility; and support the use of drift reducing technologies