Property Rights Australia

03/09/2026

Although on-farm security technology can be useful for discouraging and detecting crime, some experts are starting to warn that your data may be vulnerable to hackers.
So far the most commonly reported cyber crime is email hacking and the hijacking of genuine invoices with bank account details substituted.
That might not always be the case with more data online.
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The farm sector's thirst for time-saving technology and money-saving management strategies has a costly downside - cyber hackers and scammers.
As farmers adopt more internet-connected digital gear for labour-saving and productivity-boosting roles ranging from remote management of stock and watering systems, to running automated milking equipment, the challenge is much trickier than just deciding what useful technology they can afford, or need.
Just as important is how to protect the data and personal information the technology may link to.
In general, industry analysts say farm businesses are less likely to manage the criminal risks and are less aware of good strategies to adopt than the wider business sector.
"Farmers talk quite a lot about rural crime, but data security is harder for them to focus on than conventional problems such as stock or fuel theft," said University of New England's Centre for Rural Criminology co-director, Kyle Mulrooney.

Rural crims could use agtech gear to hack your data and accounts.

02/09/2026

PRA Board member, Jim Willmott interviewed on the Steven Tripp show.

Jim talks about the erosion of property rights with the passing of the State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill QLD.

Dissapointing that it has been rammed through by a conservative government, who even though may never use the full powers under a declaration of a project of State significance, it is set up for any future government.

An example of garbage legislation that can get through in Qld with how the committee inquiry process currently works.

The Steven Tripp ShowHow property rights are being eroded and the...

02/09/2026

Many people have reacted to a post of the News24 page [1] and made comment based of the headline and single sentence introduction - but there is much more to react to upon reading the detail in the article [2]

Compare the farming family discripition to that of the prosecuting authority
Quotes
"Melissa and William Fergusson were clearing trees for an irrigation system on their sheep and cattle farm on the state's east coast when their work was picked up by satellite imagery.

They were charged with the unauthorised clearance and conversion of 19 hectares of land and fined $132,000 by the Forest Practices Authority.

"This has been farming land in our family for a long time and these are just normal things people do to clean up paddocks," Mrs Fergusson said.
"It wasn’t at all pristine forest. We're talking about scrubby, dead trees that have been grazed under."

and

"The Forest Practices Authority said the decision sends a strong message that these offences will not be tolerated.
“In this case, the landowner derived agricultural benefit by clearing and converting forests that could not be lawfully cleared due to their significant environmental values," Chief Forest Practices Officer Anne Chuter said. "

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This has nothing to do with the Federal EPBC changes; it is Tasmanian existing regulation.
So who are the Forest Practices Authority?
Quote
" The FPA was established more than 40 years ago by the Tasmanian Parliament to manage forests on both public and private land.

Farmers claim the independent body has increased enforcement in recent years, handing down significant penalties for cleaning fencelines or establishing firebreaks.

Head of the Farmers and Landowners Action Group Lindsay White said FPA officers often arrive unannounced and use threatening tactics.

"An 84-year-old was handed a $90,000 fine. He lives on his own in the bush and the FPA took his driver's license off him because he wouldn't pay the fine," he said.
"He rang me the other day and said 'I can't pay the $90,000, I'm prepared to go to jail'. "

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The Farmers and Landowners Action Group have only been recently formed. They have been sucessful by having the Tasmanian government announce a review of forest practices regulations for farmers and landowners. [3]

"Tasmanian farmers will head to state parliament in Hobart with tractors next Thursday September 10 to protest against government overregulation and interference." [2]

[1] https://www.facebook.com/100064428234085/posts/1536335895190670
[2] https://www.news24.com.au/politics/australian-politics/feel-like-youre-being-extorted-east-coast-tasmanian-farming-couple-fined-100000-for-clearing-trees-on-their-own-land/news-story/102334e64b289f30796f59a3c5877252
[3] https://www.tasmaniancountry.com/newspaper/tasmanian-country/government-review-forest-practices-regulations

02/09/2026

Good questioning here.

01/09/2026

"Australia’s top energy market planner [Australian Energy Market Operator] has identified another $1.58bn in new spending for a renewable zone that has not yet reached its original full capacity – already more than eight times over its initial budget forecasts.

The jaw-dropping new price tag comes on top of an astronomical budget blowout that has already seen the core transmission build for the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone skyrocket from an initial $675m estimate in 2020 to an eye-watering $5.5b.

The expansion drives the grid bill for the state’s pioneer green zone past $7b – with some estimates warning it could eclipse $8b.

Now the nation’s top energy planner has called for another round of transmission works for the 20,000-square-km “green” corridor centred around Dubbo and Dunedoo.

According to AEMO blueprints, ensuring regional green energy actually reaches major load centres in Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong will require a $733m Dubbo distribution overhaul.

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MLC Mark Banasiak, who chaired a two-year parliamentary inquiry into the impact of renewable energy zones on regional communities, said the fresh spending would add to the burden on households.

“This is just going to be a noose around households’ necks for the foreseeable future because these things are going to have to be upgraded, they’re going to have to be replaced, and that’s all going on our power bills,” Mr Banasiak said.

Mr Banasiak said repeated claims of cheaper power from the renewable rollout did not stack up. "

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/dubbo/noose-around-necks-green-energy-zone-cost-blowout-to-hammer-household-bills/news-story/2ee166c188499938c451c528e8638ad2

01/09/2026

Informative Day in the South Burnett region on vegetation management matters. Please give an indication if you can attend soon.

🌳 Managing Timber for Profit While Meeting Your Legislative Obligations 🌳

Do you want to improve farm profitability through timber and vegetation management, but feel uncertain about legislative requirements and environmental obligations?

Join BCCA, Bill Schulke (Private Forestry Southern Queensland) and Steve Cupitt (Crossroads Rural & Environment) for a practical information session and field walk focused on helping landholders confidently manage timber resources while understanding the regulatory landscape. Bill will share practical approaches to integrating timber production into grazing enterprises, while Steve will provide guidance on self-assessment, protected matters, likely impacts, and navigating environmental legislation, including the EPBC Act.

✅ Practical timber management for production and profit
✅ Understanding vegetation management obligations
✅ Self-assessment and record-keeping tips
✅ Navigating environmental legislation, including the EPBC Act
✅ Identifying protected matters and assessing likely impacts
✅ Hands on discussions and practical applications

📅 Saturday 19 September 2026
⏰ 9:00am – 2:00pm
📍 Cloyna Hall, 41 Cloyna West Rd, Cloyna
💲 $20 per person (includes lunch)
🎟️ Registrations close Monday 14 September

🔗 Register now: https://www.trybooking.com/DPCAV

👒 Please bring your own water, hat and closed shoes for the field walk.

Assistance provided by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund.

01/09/2026

Carrying the load for decades.

01/09/2026

Argument perfectly made. To bad no one is listening.

31/08/2026

" A CLASS action brought on behalf of thousands of farmers across two states [NSW & Victoria] against the Murray-Darling Basin Authority has failed after a judge ruled the agency owed water users no duty of care in relation to economic loss."
Grain Central [1]

" The case centres around "overbank" flooding at the Barmah Choke, a narrow section of the Murray River between Tocumwal and Deniliquin, during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 water years.
The plaintiffs allege the MDBA decided to transfer river flows exceeding the choke's capacity by opening regulators to flood the Barmah Millewa redgum forest, with the water eventually flowing back into the river downstream."
ABC News [2]

"In his ruling, Justice Tim Faulkner stated that the MDBA is an autonomous entity tasked with enforcing the water-sharing framework developed by the state governments, and that its operations are conducted in the “public interest.” He acknowledged the MDBA’s argument that imposing a duty of care towards the irrigators could compromise its impartial role in managing the water-sharing agreement.
Furthermore, Justice Faulkner concluded that, since individual water allocations were determined by the respective states, there was insufficient connection between the MDBA and the plaintiffs to establish a duty of care. "
News Drive [3]

[1] https://www.graincentral.com/news/irrigators-lose-nsw-class-action-against-mdba
[2] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-11/murray-darling-basin-authority-class-action-water-mismanagement/105637926
[3] https://newsdive.net/2026/08/31/1-5-billion-class-action-dismissed-impacting-28-000-irrigators-in-mdba-case
Photo credit: Chris Gordon, Murray river overbank flooding

31/08/2026

Great Barrier Reef - Long term decline in nutrient and sediment runoff concentrations from reef catchments linked to improved farming practices and natural tropical climate variability.

Scientific analysis from 40 years of Reef catchment data has shown a linear decline in nitrogen and sediment runoff concentrations, which can be segregated from variable episodic runoff arising from floods and droughts. Scientists from CSIRO and James Cook University analysed nine upstream sites from seven Great Barrier Reef river basins, which all had 40 years of continuous water quality monitoring data. Seven of the nine sites showed a long-term decline in Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen DIN concentrations, which the authors attributed to a decrease in use of synthetic fertilisers and improved sugarcane practices.

Although several sites showed a linear decline in suspended sediment concentrations over a 37-year period, the authors could not confidently segregate this good result from improved grazing management practices versus runoff arising from floods and droughts due to tropical climate variability. This detailed scientific publication confirms what graziers have known for years “Ground cover and climate variability determine runoff risk, not tree cover”.

The nine authors also acknowledge these declines in nutrient and sediment from nine upstream monitoring sites may not always translate to declining concentrations in adjacent inshore marine waters which are exposed to resuspension and remineralisation events of sediments and attached nutrients.

Property Rights Australia congratulates the nine contributing authors for compiling and publishing this quantitative, long term scientific study to help answer the government policy question if Reef water quality concentrations in nutrient and sediment are improving over time. Reef farmers and governments need evidence that their costly investment into Reef health is making a difference and what components are and always will be attributed to natural, tropical climate variability.

Sources:
We finally have some encouraging news on GBR water quality. National Environmental Science Program. Project 5.11 https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/story/we-finally-have-some-encouraging-news-on-great-barrier-reef-water-quality/

Water quality trends in river catchments draining to the GBR: an analysis of 40 years data.
Cassandra S. James et al., Journal of Environmental Management, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.130359

Screenshot from an ABC article published Thurs Aug 27 which alerted us to the study results
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-27/reduced-fertiliser-use-improving-water-quality-reef-catchments/107078816