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March 2009 Edition 18
Inside this issue:
Food Safety Training 2
Flying Fox Work Group
3
National Fruit Fly Strategy project
3
Sites of Conservation Significance in the Northern Territory
4
Stimulus Package for Farmers
5
Do your workers have a valid visa to work in Australia?
6
Northern Australia Taskforce delivers midterm report
7
Upcoming conferences 8
Water
NTHA CONTACTS 15 Coolalinga Village
Shopping Centre Stuart Highway
Coolalinga 0835
PO Box 2207
Palmerston NT 0831
Phone 08 89 83 3233 Fax 08 89 83 3244
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the NTHA Council or NTHA’s members.
The Northern Territory Horticultural Association acknowledges
the ongoing support of the Northern Territory Government
The Northern Territory Government has released a discussion paper as the first step in developing a Living Rivers Strategy. The discussion paper for community and stakeholder feedback will also involve face to face community forums across the Territory, which will provide the detail required to complete the development of a Living Rivers Strategy, to be released by the end of 2009. The dates and venues for the community forums to discuss the Living Rivers discussion paper will be posted on the website displayed below and advertised through media outlets in the coming weeks. The community and stakeholders input phase for the discussion paper will close on 30 June 2009. The community will be able to comment on the discussion paper on this website http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/water/livingrivers/index.html or via a hard copy submission.
How to have your say Submission are invited until 30 June 2009. Electronic submissions can be sent through to [email protected] or you can post a hard copy submission to: Living Rivers Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport PO Box 496 Palmerston NT 0831
Written submissions should ideally be kept to no more than 20 pages. Submissions must include your name and address and will become public documents published on the Department’s web-site.
Workshops and Forums The dates and venues for the community fo-rums will be posted on the Department of Natu-ral Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport’s website http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/water/livingrivers/index.html. The NTHA will send out a notice to members on the dates and venues of the community forums. Please contact Kate at the Northern Territory Horticultural Association for further informa-tion.
Sustaining Landscapes, Livelihoods and Lifestyles
NTHA COUNCIL
Tom Harris President Citrus
Jan Hinzte
Vice President Cut Flower
Geoff Selems Public Officer
Mango
Fergus Higson Treasurer Nursery
Haig Arthur Director
Emerging Industries
David Boehme Director
Emerging Industries
Peter Marks Director Mango
David Higgins Director
Katherine Region
John Etty Director Organics
Alan Pedersen
Director Organics
Ben Hoffmann
Director Cut Flowers
Charmaine Carter
Director Tropical Exotics
Daniel Herrick
Director Tropical Exotics
Jane Dellow Director Nursery
The views expressed by contributors to this magazine may not reflect the views of the Northern Territory Horticultural Association and the NTHA gives no warranties to the products and services advertised herein. To contribute editorial or purchase advertising space please contact the NTHA.
All editorial and advertising is published at the discretion of the NTHA.
Food Safety Training
Page 2 NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER
NTHA COUNCIL
Jan Hinzte
President Cut Flowers
David Higgins Vice President
Katherine Region
Tom Harris Treasurer
Citrus
Ian Baker
Public Officer Mango
Haig Arthur
Director
Emerging Industries
Peter Marks Director
Mango
Simon Smith
Director Nursery
John Etty
Director Organics
Ben Hoffmann Director
Cut Flowers
Rob Doyle Director
Tropical Exotic Fruit
Peter Sinnott
Director Mango
David Boehme
Director
Emerging Industries
Jerry Hemphill Director
Organics
3 day course on the principles and applications of
HACCP and WQA 29th April – 1st May 2009
NTHA Office, Coolalinga
9.00am-5.00pm
$660 per person (GST exclusive)
Course Inclusions: Lunch, Course notes & Certificate of Attainment
A learning tool for all trade partners What is HACCP? Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a universally accepted tool used to identify and prevent food safety hazards. The three-day course is hands-on and aimed at giving you an in depth knowledge of the principles of HACCP and how to apply it to your business to meet customer and regulatory requirements. The Woolworths Quality Assurance Standard (WQA) requires that at least one person employed by the trade partner must have attended formal HACCP training. This course is designed to provide an overview of HACCP Principles and their Applications with updates on tools used to undertake the hazard analysis and identify CCP’s. It also covers all other requirements of the WQA Standard.
There is a Maximum of 14 places so get in quick!
Call NTHA to book 8983 3233
This course will be run by Advancing Food Safety Pty Ltd, a training organisation which specialises in HACCP and Food Safety to meet customer food safety standards and legislative requirements.
NTHA CONTACT
Phone 08 898 83 3233 Facsimile 08 89 83 3244
PO Box 2207 Palmerston NT 0832
Email [email protected]
www.ntha.com.au
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER Page 3
Flying Fox Working Group
The Queensland Government Working Group on Flying Foxes requested repre-sentation from the North Queensland grower group. Mark Gray, NTHA Tropical Exotic Fruit Australia member attended the inaugural meeting in February. Background
The Minis ter for the Department of Primary Industr ies and Fisheries established the Flying Fox Working Group in January 2009 which will provide guidance on determining appropriate non lethal methods for protect-ing crops from flying foxes. The Working Group will be a joint govern-ment agency and horticultural grower rep-resentative body to bring together the rele-vant expertise to address the flying fox issue. The working group may include other s takeholders as required. Objective To advise industry and government on action to achieve viable non lethal flying fox management methods to protect fruit crops. Membership of the committee represents growers, industry assoc iations and rele-vant government agencies. • Department of Primary Industries
and Fisher ies (DPI&F) • Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) • Local Government – Southern
Downs Regional Council • Department of Infrastructure &
Planning • Horticulture Australia Ltd • Growcom • Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable
Growers • Australian Lychee Growers Asso-
ciation (ALGA) • Australian Mango Industry Associa-
tion (AMIA) • Granite Belt Grower representa-tives • NQ grower representative Please contact Cathy at NTHA if you would
like further information.
ChemCert & FreshCare Training
Train Safe NT is offering the following training courses:
ChemCert Level 3 April 15th - 16th
May 5th – 6th August 4th – 5th
NTHA Members FREE All other participants $200
Freshcare Accreditation Training May 8th
August 7th NTHA Members FREE
All other participants $180
Chainsaw Training Costs
Northern Territory Horticulture Association members FREE
All other participants $250 Location & dates to be organised
All courses will be held at the John England Building,
Berrimah Farm, and will run from 8.30am-4pm You must book as positions are limited
Contact James on 0435 182 042 or email
Train Safe NT is a
Registered Training Organisation based in the Northern Territory
Plant Health Australia, National Fruit Fly Strategy project The Australian Government has signalled its support for the National Fruit Fly Strat-egy (NFFS) through the allocation of funds for its implementation as outlined in the Government’s election commitments. To carry out the project a coordinator has been appointed in each jurisdiction to collect and collate research outcomes, extension material and other information from within government, research institutions and industry sources. Deanna Chin, Senior Entomologist, Plant Industries. Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources is the NT coordinator for the project.
NTHA CONTACT
Phone 08 898 83 3233 Facsimile 08 89 83 3244
PO Box 2207 Palmerston NT 0832
Email [email protected]
www.ntha.com.au
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER Page 4
Sites of Conservation Significance in the Northern Territory
The Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS) is responsible for the conserva-tion of biodiversity across the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory has a relatively intact environment but our plants and animals (biodiversity) are not evenly distributed across the landscape, with only around 10% of our landscapes protected by national parks and reserves. Many threatened species are found outside parks and reserves and additional conservation efforts are required to protect biodiversity in these areas. NRETAS has identified 67 of the most important sites for biodiversity conservation and prepared draft information papers for each of these sites. Each draft information pa-per provides background data and an assessment of each site as being of national or international significance for biodiversity conservation. The interactive map has links to the areas identified: http: //www.nt.gov.au/nre ta/environment/conservation/index.html
The identification of these sites means that that these ar-eas contain special biodiversity values that need addi-tional protecting. The recognition of these sites imposes no additional regulatory or legislative requirements or con-trol on management and use of the land, over and above any particular existing requirements of the area. For ex-ample, there is already some protection afforded to loca-tions that are critical for the survival of threatened biodi-versity. NRETAS will also be developing a conservation agree-ment program during 2008-09 to provide incentives for landholders who want to maintain and manage the con-servation values on their lands. This project has been funded under the NT Integrated Natural Resource
Management Plan and NT Regional Investment Strategy (2006).
• Stainless steel water dump (hopper) elevator
• Stainless steel 16 brush / washer • Stainless steel chemical tunnel
mechanical fume extractor • Drying tunnel with 3 fans and 2 cen-
trifugal fans • All items in very good condition with
variable speed control
Can be inspected at Acacia Hills Farm
Phone: 61 8 89 881467 Fax: 61 8 89 889005 Mobile: 0412895375
Email: [email protected] ABN: 58 009 624 499
Bin tipper (semi auto) with adjustable bin height
FOR SALE
NTHA CONTACT
Phone 08 898 83 3233 Facsimile 08 89 83 3244
PO Box 2207 Palmerston NT 0832
Email [email protected]
www.ntha.com.au
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER Page 5
Stimulus package
What's in the stimulus package for farmers? I preface this article with the statement that I am not a financial adviser and I encourage you all to seek formal advice in the face of the current financial crisis and in light of the type of opportunities outlined below. The government’s second stimulus package has received a mixed response. It’s safe to say, however, that none of us will be declin-ing a cheque in the mail. I therefore thought that it might be useful to outline the benefits for farmers, so far as I am aware, and circu-late a very quick précis so that you might pounce on the dollars before they disappear. $950 one-off bonus payment for those earning under $100,000 A key feature of the package includes five $950 one-off payments for low- and middle-income earners, farmers and families, de-signed to be spent immediately. The hand-outs, totalling $12.7 billion are scheduled for payout in March and April. Those eligible for the payout must have lodged a 2007-2008 tax return. Those who haven’t yet lodged a return can do so until the end of June this year to be eligible. The five key bonuses include: • Tax Bonus for Working Australians of up
to $950 paid to every eligible Australian worker earning $100,000 or less.
• $950 Single Income Family Bonus to
support 1.5 million families with one main income earner.
• $950 Farmers’ Hardship Bonus paid to
around 21,500 drought affected farmers and farm dependent small business owners receiving exceptional circum-stances related income support.
• $950 per child Back to School Bonus to support 2.8 million chi ldren from low-and-middle income families.
• $950 Training and Learning Bonus paid
to students and people outside of the workforce returning to study to help with the costs of education and training.
Tax break for small business totalling $2.7 billion Time is running out for those in agriculture who want to access the Federal Govern-ment's vehicle and equipment investment al-lowance. Under the allowance, producers will receive a 30 per cent tax deduction on new farm machinery or equipment for eligible as-sets costing $1,000 or more. Assets must be ordered by the end of this financial year. If you miss the boat there is a 10 per cent tax deduction on equipment ordered between1 July 2009 and 31 December 2009. In addition to this, a small business that buys and installs a $2,000 computer before the end of June 2009 can claim an additional $600 deduction in its 2008-2009 tax return. Get advice from your accountant before you start spending but if a strategic investment in your business might pay off then here is an incentive to do it sooner rather than later. Happy shopping. Kate Peake
Page 6 NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER
Do your workers have a valid visa to work in Australia?
Growers hiring overseas workers are being encouraged to check a person’s work entitlements to ensure they have a visa that allows them to work in Australia. You can check work entitlements through internet and faxback services provided by the Department of Immigra-tion and Citizenship (DIAC). Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citi-zenship, has said that ‘Checking work entitlements make good business sense. The last thing a farmer wants is to lose a worker because they do not have a valid visa to work in Australia’. If you are convicted of these offences you could face fines of up to $13 200 and two years’ imprisonment per illegal worker hired. Companies face fines of up to $66 000 per illegal worker. You may also come under the scrutiny of other government agencies, such as the Aus-tralian Taxation Office and Centrelink that work with DIAC to reduce the incidence of illegal work. To confirm a job applicant’s Australian citizenship you would need to witness any of the following documents; an Australian Birth Certificate, an Australian passport, citi-zenship certificate or certificate of evidence of Australian citizenship. Experience shows that birth certificates are the most commonly held document from this group, but note that for those job applicants born after 20/8/1986, their birth certificate should show that at least one parent was born in Australia. Where both parents were born overseas, a prospective job applicant should provide fur-ther documentary evidence of: �his/her stated Australian citizenship; or �at least one parent’s Australian citizenship or permanent residence at the time of birth. It is easy to check the work entitlements of a prospective employee who is not an Australian citizen. If you have internet access, you can check their work en-titlements through DIAC’s Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) website service. VEVO is a free service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, enabling
you to determine whether someone has an entitlement to work within a matter of seconds. To register to use VEVO go to www.immi.gov.au/vevo. If you don’t have internet access, you can use DIAC’s toll-free Visa Entitlement Verification Faxback Service to check work entitlements. Phone 1800 040 070 to find out more about using the service or log on to www.immi.gov.au/vevo and download the Faxback form. Scenario Albert engages a group of workers referred by a local backpacker hostel. The hostel claims to have checked the work entitlements of the workers, but one of the work-ers turns out to be an illegal worker. Would Albert have committed an offence under the employer sanctions legis-lation? No he wouldn’t. The department would not usually con-sider prosecuting Albert, if he could show documentation from the backpacker hostel which says that the hostel had checked that the workers had valid visas to work in Australia. For example Albert could ask the hostel to pro-vide him with evidence that VEVO checks have been completed, either the faxback form or a print out of online checks. In this situation the backpacker hostel may commit the offence of referring an illegal worker for work. For more information about the faxback service, VEVO, or the legislation, call the Employers’ Immigration Hotline on 1800 040 070, during 8.30am-4.30pm (AEST), Mon-day to Friday. Information is also at www.immi.gov.au/
employer-obligations.
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Australian Government
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA TASKFORCE DELIVERS MIDTERM REPORT
Page 7 NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER
The Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce has pre-sented its Midterm Report to the Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia, Gary Gray. Mr Gray said the Taskforce had begun to explore and under-stand the opportunities for new sustainable economic develop-ment across northern Australia. "It will have a particular emphasis on developing available wa-ter resources, acknowledging the importance of protecting the unique quality of life and world class environmental assets in northern Australia," Mr Gray said. "This is crucial if the wide-spread problems that have arisen from land and water resource development in other regions are to be avoided." The Midterm Report summarises results from the 2007 Task-force inquiries, provides brief statements against the Terms of Reference and outlines the actions the Taskforce will imple-ment during 2009.
In 2009, the Taskforce will focus on:
ο development options and impacts;
ο economic drivers and limitations;
ο contribution of hard, soft and natural infrastructure to eco-nomic development;
ο Indigenous employment opportunities, and
ο institutional, policy and governance arrangements for ef-fective management of water resources.
ο Mr Gray said the Midterm Report was the first time a Taskforce report had been released publicly. All documents released by the former Taskforce are available on the Taskforce's website. The Taskforce is due to deliver its final report at the end of the year. More information on the Taskforce, including a copy of the Mid-term Report and its Terms of Reference, can be found at www.nalwt.gov.au
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA GROWER Page 8
For 2009 conferences, workshops and training activities contact NTHA for a copy of the NTHA Events Calendar, updated regularly.
Thursday 4th – Saturday 6th June 2009
Conrad Jupiters – Gold Coast
To check out the Full Program, the Registration Brochure can be obtained by telephoning the Confer-ence Secretariat on (07) 3254 0522 - from the from the Conference Website at (www.abgc.org.au) or by sending an email to [email protected]
The 7th Australian Mango Conference The Sebel Cairns
(formerly Cairns International Hotel)
25th to 28th May 2009
For further information, contact
Trevor Dunmall, on 0400 808 689 or email [email protected]
