Basin Plan Amendment Instrument 2017 (No 1)

The NFF’s 17 February 2017 submission responds to the MDBA’s draft recommendation to reduce the water recovery target in the northern Basin from 370GL to 320GL. The proposal by the MDBA to lower the recovery target from 390 GL to 320 GL. NFF’s view that this recommendation does not go far enough and still means […]

Mining and Onshore Gas policy

June 2016 The acceleration of mining and onshore gas development in Australia and how these industries interact with Australian Agriculture has been the cause of much debate and consternation over recent years. This public policy debate has resulted in calls for the protection of waters sources, the preservation of agricultural land, veto rights, or better […]

Water Amendment (Review Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2015: Submission

The NFF’s 29 February 2016 submission recommends that the Senate support the Bill without amendments and the NFF welcomes adjustments to the reviews and reporting arrangements proposed by the Bill. These adjustments better reflect the timing of the implementation of the plan. The NFF particularly welcomes the addition of a specific requirement for the monitoring […]

Inquiry into the Water Amendment Bill 2015: Submission

In its 31 July 2015 Submission the NFF provides strong support to pass proposed amendments to the Water Act 2007, subsection 85C(1), which imposes a duty on the Commonwealth not to exceed the 1500 gigalitre limit on surface water purchases in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Review of Commonwealth Water Information Provision: Submission

The NFF’s 5 March 2015 submission outlines that while farmers are not the direct recipients of the regulations imposed by the Water Act 2007 (the Act), they inevitably bear the ultimate cost of those regulations. Referring to its previous submission to the recent review of the Act, NFF notes that a comprehensive evaluation of the […]

Freedoms Inquiry: Submission

The NFF’s 3 March 2015 Freedoms Inquiry Submission outlines certain areas in Commonwealth legislation that, in the NFF’s view, encroach upon the traditional freedoms of Australian farmers. NFF notes key areas of concern, including Commonwealth laws that deal with land use, as well as workplace relations laws that involve general protections and the enterprise bargaining […]