TJ, also known as "The Free Hugs Guy," has captured the hearts of Mackay residents with his selfless acts of kindness despite facing unemployment.

You may have seen him around town, in front of shopping centres or driving around town with "Free hugs" proudly displayed on his car and attire.

While spreading community love through free hugs is already a significant gesture, TJ goes above and beyond by distributing vouchers worth $50 each for meat, fruit & veg, and other shopping amenities whenever he can, aiming to support struggling individuals in the community.

TJ's noble endeavours also involve distributing food to local charities and helping out wherever he can.

TJ says he’s “on a mission to spread as much positivity, love and kindness as I can, providing free hugs, an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, free gift cards and food where I can.”

Locals have been left in awe by his kindness, with loads of comments flooding his Facebook page expressing their heartfelt appreciation towards this initiative, with many claiming “there needs to be more people like TJ in the world.”

In a world often overshadowed by negativity, TJ's simple yet profound acts of kindness serve as a reminder that a little love and compassion can go a long way in brightening someone's day and spreading joy in the community.

If you are in need of a hug or would like to contribute to this amazing initiative, please visit TJ The Free Hugs Guy on Facebook to continue this chain of kindness.

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TJ offers free hugs and an ear to listen to those who are struggling in hopes of brightening someone’s day and spreading positivity throughout the region. Image sourced

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Earlier this week, on Tuesday, June 4, Wilmar Sugar and Renewables advised more than 1,200 waged employees that anyone participating in industrial action from yesterday, Wednesday, June 5 will be locked out until further notice.
Workers have been told that if they are locked out, they will not be paid until the lockout is lifted.
A company spokesman said the decision to lock out was not taken lightly.
“We respect employee rights to union membership and their right to take lawful industrial action,” he said.
“However, the company also has the right under the Fair Work Act to respond to prolonged industrial action to protect its interests.”
The lockout will not affect workers who are not participating in industrial action, or who have been participating in action but wish to attend work and carry out their full duties without imposing any bans or participating in any industrial action from Wednesday.
Members of the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and Electrical Trades Union have been imposing work bans and rolling stoppages at the company’s nine factories since mid-May in support of demands for an 18% pay rise, which was recently reduced from 22%.
The Wilmar spokesman said industrial action has delayed completion of essential maintenance and preparatory work at the factories ahead of the 2024 sugar season and has forced the company to push back start of production by more than a week.
“We have willingly engaged with bargaining agents for the employees and encouraged negotiation, even asking the Fair Work Commission to assist,” he said.
“We have made a number of offers to try to reach a fair and reasonable outcome that we can sustain over time.
“However, unions have chosen the industrial action path over negotiation.”
Unions notified intention to continue rolling stoppages and bans, including overtime bans, for at least another week forcing further delay and impact on growers, contractors and others in the community.  
Wilmar has requested a ballot of employees covered by enterprise agreement to be held on June 10 and 11 to vote on the most recent offer of a 14.25% increase over three-and-a-half years, as well as a $1,500 sign-on bonus and a $20 a week allowance for electrical workers using their licence.
AWU Northern District Secretary Jim Wilson called the lockout a “disgraceful” attempt to prevent workers from standing up for themselves and their communities, saying these efforts will ultimately be unsuccessful.
“This is a multinational corporation trying to bully and intimidate North Queenslanders to stop us asking for our fair share,” Mr Wilson said.
“These are intimidation tactics of the highest order.”
“Workers won’t take this lying down, and growers won’t accept Wilmar further delaying the crush by locking skilled workers out of their workplaces.
“Workers will continue to take action, we will vote down the newest bad agreement and Wilmar will be back to square one.”

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Wilmar Sugar and Renewables warned its workers that anyone participating in industrial action will be locked out until further notice. Photo supplied

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Last Sunday, about 100 locals gathered at the Bakers Creek Memorial to pay their respects to the forty lives lost in 1942, following a horrific plane crash that became a part of regional and international history.

Eighty-one years ago, a United States Army Air Force B-17C Flying Fortress, tail number 40-2072, crashed at 6:02am at Bakers Creek, about 6-kilometres south of Mackay airport and 1-kilometre northwards of the Bakers Creek Memorial.

On June 14 of 1943, forty of the 41 American “GIs” on board perished.

The aircraft was operated by the 46th Transport Carrier Squadron (46TCS), 317th Troop Carrier Group (317TCG), of the US 5th Air Force and was enroute to “Maple” (Port Moresby) with passengers who had spent 10 days “R&R” leave in Mackay.

The Bakers Creek Memorial was unveiled and dedicated on 11 May 1992 as a place to honour the 41 Americans aboard the B-17C Flying Fortress, affectionately known as “Miss EMF”.

During the closing of the 2005 ceremony, Keith Payne V.C. said, “For a while they were Australians when they gave their lives here and were interred in Australian soil.”

Each soldier, later repatriated to the USA, gave his life in a selfless way, far from their homes and fighting the war with Australians in New Guinea.

The Australian Ambassador is expected to lay a wreath during the US Army’s ceremony, on June 14, 2024, at America’s Bakers Creek Air Crash Memorial, in Washington, DC.

America’s memorial mimics Mackay’s Regional Bakers Creek memorial. It was unveiled on June 14, 2006, and dedicated on June 11, 2009, at its permanent site, at Ft Myer, Arlington, VA.

It rests on a 750 kg slab of donated Queensland granite that was transported, free, to the USA by QANTAS.

Eighty-one years ago, on 14th June 1943, locals and American visitors were shocked by the Flying Fortress crash at Bakers Creek. US Army Captain Samuel Cutler was in charge of the American Red Cross “R&R” Center in Mackay that hosted American soldiers taking a 10-day break from the war in New Guinea. They were supporting Australians on the Kokoda Trail.

As officer-of-the-day, Captain Cutler supervised loading of the aircraft before its doomed flight. His diary entry about the terrible event was discovered by his son five years after his passing.

They have been honoured and sadly missed by many.

Lest We Forget.

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Image sourced from Pacific Wrecks
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Australian (William Alick) and US national (Zelda – Graham Jackson’s sister) flags lead the US “Home State” flags of the casualties' home states. Caption: Photo Credit: Colin Benson

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A lucky Mackay man has declared a life-changing $114,000 win in a recent Keno draw, which he says has come at the most ‘perfect time’ for his upcoming family holiday.
 
The North Queenslander looks forward to a total prize of $114,014.30 after he scored the Keno prize in draw 190, on Tuesday 28 May 2024.
 
Coincidentally, the winning man shared he almost left the club without putting a Keno ticket on but decided to stay a bit longer to celebrate his friend’s birthday.  

“I am still in complete shock. Wow!” he cheered.
 
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw my numbers come up.
 
“I have a holiday coming up and I can use it towards that!

“Round up the family and have the best holiday!
 
His winning entry was purchased at O’Shea’s Hotel Motel, 1 Bold Street, Walkerston.

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Local Mackay man wins big with unexpected Keno prize of $114,014.30. The winner says he will use the bonus money to spend with his family on an upcoming vacation

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A series of break-ins have occurred and locals have been urged to contact police with any additional information regarding the incidents.

May 23 - Four Teens Caught Following South Mackay Break In
Around 11.20pm on May 23, it is alleged that four people were observed entering a fenced complex on Milton Street and breaking into a caretakers shed.
Police were contacted and promptly attended the scene.
It is alleged that the officers sighted the four people driving a Kawasaki buggy out of the shed before exiting the vehicle and running on foot onto nearby Meero Street in South Mackay.
A police dog and handler were deployed and with the assistance of police, all four people were found and arrested.
A 14-year-old North Mackay boy, a 15-year-old Ooralea boy, a 15-year-old South Mackay boy and a 13-year-old Beaconsfield boy will all be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act.
 
May 29 - Two Vehicles Stolen From Sarina Beach
Police have been investigating a break in of a business on Sarina Beach occurring between 3.30pm on May 28 and 5.45am on May 29.
It is alleged offenders have stolen 2 vehicles along with multiple car keys.
The intruders have gained entry to the building and located the vehicle keys.
A large hole was cut in the wire fencing where the intruders have driven the vehicles out of the yard.

June 2 - Break And Enter Appeal In Bucasia
Police are investigating a break and enter at a business at Downie Avenue on June 2.
Initial investigations indicate at around 3.10am on June 2, an unknown vehicle rammed the front roller door of a business causing significant damage to the front entrance and gaining entry to the inside of the business.
Police are appealing for any information, dashcam or CCTV footage between 2.30-3.30am on June 2 at Downie Avenue to contact Mackay Northern Beaches Police Station on 07 4969 7666.
Investigations are ongoing.

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Please be advised that Badyari Yalu Road (pronounced bud-jar-e yar-loo), which links Rosewood Drive and Eimeo Road through the new Northern Beaches Community Hub site, will be closed for approximately four months from Monday, June 3.

The internal road will be inaccessible until late September as part of additional works being undertaken in stage 1A, including civil, landscaping and drainage works.

Stage 1A of the project is partly funded by the Australian Government and Mackay Regional Council. The Australian Government committed $6.5 million towards stage 1A, with council contributing the remainder of the cost of the works.

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Badyari Yalu Road will be closed as of Monday June 3rd for approximately four months to undergo civil, landscaping and drainage works. Image Credit: Mackay Regional Council

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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox has emerged as an advocate for the agricultural sector within the region, addressing the evolving needs of Australian farmers and the underlying issues they face.
Mr Willcox has recently welcomed the Federal Government’s backflip on the ill-advised changes to the Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) Schemes mandatory work hours.
In his statement, Mr. Willcox outlines the detrimental impact of the previous policy, implemented despite warnings from various quarters including the Coalition and industry bodies.
“Last year, the Government ploughed ahead with unworkable changes to the PALM Scheme, despite numerous warnings from the Coalition and industry bodies, which put our agricultural industry and our foreign relations in jeopardy,” Mr Willcox said.
The burden of a rigid 30-hour workweek requirement posed significant challenges for farmers, whose livelihoods are intricately tied to the unpredictable nature of seasonal and weather-dependent agricultural work.
“The changes forced employers to guarantee 30 hours per week. As a farmer by trade, I know firsthand how unworkable the constraints of guaranteed work hours are,” Mr Willcox said.
“Farming is seasonal, and weather dependent, which dictates how many hours a worker will be able to work, and forcing farmers to pay each person they employ on the PALM Scheme the mandatory 30 hours, regardless of if they only worked 10, was having a detrimental effect on our hard-working farmers.
“These new changes will see these constraints relaxed, and now 120 hours can be averaged out over 4 weeks per employee, which will be much more workable.
“Our concerns were raised in Senate Estimates, in Questions in Writing to the Minister for the Pacific, and through strong media advocacy which has, thankfully, turned the tide.
“Thankfully, now the Government has backflipped but only after seeing a decline of 10.2 per cent in short-term workers and 10.4 per cent for all PALM workers in agriculture.
“These changes will come into effect from July 1, and I will continue to fight against red tape that makes things harder for our farmers and Pacific relations,” Mr Willcox said.
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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox advocates for regional farmers against the PALM Scheme. Image supplied.

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Around 530 patients in the Mackay region have benefited from the new dedicated post-operative care services at the Mackay Base Hospital.

Following surgery, the Post-Operative Support System (PODSS) team meet with the patient before they go home, providing them with information and a phone number to call for assistance for up to 30 days post-surgery.

Patients have said the Clinical Nurse Consultant gave them the extra support needed once they were home such as organising additional medication, timely advice as well as check ins on how their recovery was progressing.

It is also estimated that since the service commenced in March, it has halved the need for further ED presentations post-surgery.

Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert stated that, "these fantastic new roles are helping us take pressure off our busy emergency departments and enhancing care for people post-surgery”.

"Sometimes we need extra support once we're home from hospital and that's where the PODSS team comes in,” she explained.

"We will continue to look and find innovative ways to enhance the delivery of world-class healthcare for our growing community."

The PODSS follows the recent introduction of medical and nursing commanders to ensure smoother transfer from ambulances to EDs.

These new roles and the PODDS respond to the Miles Government's five-point plan to improve patient flow in Queensland's public health system.

These initiatives build on work underway including the $764 million Putting Patients First plan, new Satellite Hospitals, the work of the Queensland Ambulance Service clinical hub and the Surgery Connect program to reduce elective surgery wait lists.

Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services and Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman said "this new service is just one way we are investing in measures to improve patient flow and boost the care provided to Queenslanders.

"It's wonderful to hear from patients that this extra step of support is helping them to recover at home and get the care they need.

"I want to thank our dedicated and hardworking health heroes who are continuing to provide world class healthcare for the Mackay community."

Mackay HHS Chief Executive Susan Gannon commented that "the Post Operative Discharge Support Service (PODSS) at Mackay Base Hospital has been a great success and is helping to not only relieve pressure on our busy Emergency Department, but also provide better support for patients as they recover from surgery.

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Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert with Mackay HHS Chief Executive Susan Gannon and Mackay base hospitals clinical nurse consultants, Chelsea Presley and Erin Sherry. Photo Credit Hannah McNamara

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Dunes Harbour Beach isn’t just a beach destination - it’s a growing vibrant community nestled right on Mackay Harbour, offering a lifestyle that feels like a holiday, every day against a backdrop of stunning coastal vistas.
One of their standout events is the free Beachside Breakfast which kicked off at the end of May, drawing beach lovers for a delicious bacon and egg roll catered by Mackay Surf Lifesaving Club and barista-made coffee by Deja Brew Café and Catering. Plus, there’s free face painting for the kids, ensuring fun for the whole family.
Community is paramount at Dunes. The Beachside Breakfast successfully unified people whilst supporting local organisations like Phoenix Place Inc., who are dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to lead the life they choose. Initiatives, such as Deja Brew Coffee van, provide work opportunities and foster inclusion.
“Our aim is to support the flourishing community at Dunes Harbour Beach and encourage both locals and visitors to embrace the coastal lifestyle that’s right on their doorstep. Events like Yoga By the Beach and the upcoming Tunes in the Dunes provide opportunities for well-being and social interaction fostering a sense of belonging.
“Our community embodies the essence of what makes a place truly feel like home. With breathtaking scenery right here in our backyard, there’s every reason to take the short 10-minute drive from town and experience it for yourself!” said Lori Kersten, Marketing Manager at Dunes Harbour Beach.
Everyone’s welcome whether you’re a resident or visitor, Dunes Harbour Beach invites you to explore coastal living and join in at their next Beachside Breakfast this month. Mark your calendars—it's going to be a morning not to miss!
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Start Date: Sunday, 23 June 2024
Time: 8am – 11am
Location: Dunes Harbour Beach, Sol Drive next to the Community Square.

Registration is essential for catering. Please visit the website to register: http://www.dunesharbourbeach.com.au/community-and-events

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The Whitsunday Anglican School STEAM Centre, designed by BSPN Architecture, made an impressive impact at the North Queensland Regional Architecture Awards in Townsville last weekend.

The STEAM Centre was officially unveiled on the 23rd of May at Whitsunday Anglican School and has since marked a significant milestone for education within the Mackay region.

A first for the Mackay and Whitsunday region, the world-class facility is available for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, placing them at the forefront of innovative, future-focused education. 

The Centre triumphed for the Mackay region with three prestigious accolades: the esteemed Walter and Oliver Tunbridge Award for Building of the Year, a highly regarded Regional Commendation for Educational Architecture, and the beloved People’s Choice Award. These honours celebrate the STEAM Centre's exceptional design and its significant contribution to innovative education for the future.

Designed in partnership with BSPN Architects, Whitsunday Anglican School and the University of Melbourne, the research-driven building was designed to foster creativity, collaboration, flexibility and innovation.

The Centre was designed to link in with the region’s industry strengths and provide students with critical skills for the future in STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Design, and Mathematics. It will educate students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

The building features scientific laboratories, extended experimentation investigation laboratories, innovative learning environments, idea-generating pods, learning commons, incubators, maker spaces and a tertiary inspired library.

Whitsunday Anglican School Principal, Mr Andrew Wheaton praised BSPN Architect and project lead Bretton Watson, Fergus Builders, and the school staff, for bringing the School's vision to life.

“From its inception, the school had the vision to design a cutting-edge, research driven educational building that will inspire innovative teaching and learning into the future, that creates the skills of tomorrow, enabling our students, to confidently navigate a dynamic world, where the only constant is change.

“Our exceptional teachers who support our students on their learning journey, set strong foundations over many years to ensure our students continue to grow and be the best version of themselves.

“The STEAM Centre will play a critical role in the future of our School, and this represents just the beginning of a new future at Whitsunday Anglican,” Mr Wheaton said.

Bretton Watson, project lead at BSPN Architecture said the STEAM Centre design stands as a catalyst for intellectual curiosity and achievement, transcending conventional educational paradigms to establish a dynamic learning hub that empowers students, faculty, and the wider school community as active participants in the pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

“It is always a rewarding fulfilment to not only see the building and its spaces used as intended but also how the students and staff can find other opportunities on how to learn and collaborate beyond expectation,” Mr Watson said.

Whitsunday Anglican School proudly continues to affirm itself as Queensland’s top academic regional school, and the STEAM Centre is just the start of the School and BSPN’s revitalisation plans for the school campus into the future.

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Whitsunday Anglican School launched the regions first STEAM centre, with an aim to equip students with a future-focused education. 
 
Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox with Whitsunday Anglican School Captains. Photo Credit: Hannah McNamara  
 

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Queensland Police Service issued an online announcement, later shared on a community Facebook page, seeking public assistance to locate the owners of a lost mobile phone.

QPS said that on May 22, police from Mackay came into possession of a mobile phone (iPhone 15) at a location in Glenella and it was suspected of being a stolen item.

Efforts were made to identify the owners of the phone found by the police, with the aim of returning it to its rightful owner. When the phone was powered up, an image was displayed on the home screen and police encouraged anyone with information regarding the image or the phone's ownership to contact the Mackay police station.

Not long after, Queensland Police Service reported a positive outcome, stating, "We need to thank you all for your help - the owner of the mobile phone referred to in the release below has come forward and been identified to police." They expressed gratitude for the community's assistance, adding, "Great for it to happen this way, even better to see it happen so quickly, thank you."

With the cooperation of the community, the phone was successfully returned to its rightful owner, ensuring a swift and successful outcome.

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Image displayed on the lost phone. Image sourced

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Care Kitchen was founded in 2014 as a cooking school for adults with a disability. Each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you will find six amazing participants achieving some outstanding results, preparing, cooking and presenting a wide variety of dishes using a range of cooking methods.

The point of difference is that all of this is done from a professional outlook and the participants proudly wear a chef’s uniform.

So, what does a typical day look like? Weighing, sifting, beating, baking, cooling, slicing, chopping, measuring, stir frying, stewing, roasting… the list goes on. Include a lot of respect, chatter and laughs, cleaning rosters, morning tea and lunch breaks as well as presenting our finished dishes.

Care Kitchen dishes are varied, from simple stir-fries to beef wellingtons, scones to lemon meringue, pies and rum cakes and even toffee apples and dagwood dogs for show week.

Wherever possible, recipes are started from scratch or from the basics to minimise the use of convenience products.

Each day crews at Care Kitchen are incidentally learning life skills and gaining lifelong friends.

This unique organisation is not for profit and the committee is run by volunteers, where the instructors are qualified chefs and some of the participants have their own independent support workers alongside them in class. Most crews are supported by their NDIS plans.

Unfortunately, Care Kitchen is currently doing it a little tough and are finding it difficult to source instructors and committee members.

If you would like to be part of this amazing organisation please give it some consideration, check Care Kitchen out on Facebook and if you are interested… president Peter can be contacted on 0418755331.

Join the team today and embark on a rewarding role at Care Kitchen Mackay.

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Four former Mackay school students are all smiles about returning to the region and doing their final year dentistry placement at Mackay Base Hospital.

Jael Mezieres, Carly Featherstone, Lauren Pearson and Aditya (Adi) Suvarna all attended primary and high school in Mackay and are now in their fifth year of studying a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in Cairns. They are part of a group of eight students in their final week of a four-month placement in the dental unit at Mackay Base Hospital.

Jael, who is originally from Zambia and moved to Mackay with her family aged five, attended Mackay Christian College and St Patrick's College for Year 11 and 12.

Coming from a large family including six brothers, Jael always knew she would pursue a career in healthcare.

"I always had a passion for science and thought I’d do either medicine or dentistry - it's science but with people and doing something where you are helping and serving people."

Carly Featherstone is excited to be working and learning in the dental unit of the hospital in which she was born. She lived in Moranbah until she was 10 before moving to the Pioneer Valley, completing her schooling at Mirani State Primary and State High Schools.

"I undertook a school-based traineeship and completed a Certificate 3 in Dental
Assisting which enabled me to work at a practice in Marian two days a week while still finishing high school," Carly said.

Her years of work experience solidified her decision to return to study and earn her degree in dentistry. Placement in regional areas complemented her clinical knowledge and helped build skills, experience and attitude to become competent dentist.

"I'd really like to return and work in regional areas as there's still a lot of stigma about going to the dentist," Carly said.

Adi, who attended St Francis Xavier Primary School for Years 5 to 7 and then Mercy College for years 8-9, originally moved to Mackay from Scotland with his parents who are both doctors. His father worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at Mackay Base Hospital.

After the family moved to Townsville, Adi completed a biomedical degree at JCU Townsville in physiology and pharmacology with a focus on research. In his third year and while studying genetics, his interest in dentistry was piqued by an oral cavity unit.

"I'm very excited to actually start work as a dentist - it's been a very long eight years of studying," he said.

"Having lived in India, England, Scotland, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns, I really don't mind where I end up."

The trio were thrilled to be back in Mackay working beside and learning from the
"fantastic team" in the MBH dental unit.

"It's a fantastic place to learn from people who are very keen to help teach you. They are all so approachable and very helpful," Carly said.

Lauren Pearson says “being in the dentistry industry is so flexible, it’s good money and I get to help so many people and I like the artistic side of it as well like restoring people’s smiles.

“Smiles are so important, so being able to help people like that is really interesting to me.”

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(Left to Right) Supervisor Nancy Thanki, Jael Mezieres, Carly Featherstone, Lauren Pearson and Aditya (Adi) Suvarna. Photo Credit: Hannah McNamara

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Shockingly, one in seven Australians experience social isolation and over one in six experience loneliness. That’s a 33% percent increase since 2012 with loneliness now declared as a global health epidemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Knowing this, Australians are being encouraged to engage in volunteering as a way to alleviate the impacts of social isolation and make a real difference in the lives of those in the community who are in need.

Orange Sky is a not-for-profit organisation that provides free laundry services and free showers to those experiencing homelessness.

Luke is Mackay’s youngest Orange Sky Volunteer and began volunteering with Orange Sky when he was just eighteen years old with a passion for interacting with people and making others feel heard.

“I always find the best part is talking to them, making them feel heard and just listening to them, and actually treating them as you would anyone else,” Luke said.

“I started because I wanted to help others out but I didn’t realise how much of an effect it would have on me.

William is another young local hero who also volunteers alongside the Orange Sky service with his schools breaky van, and wants to volunteer with Orange Sky once he graduates school.

While volunteering often involves flipping eggs and bacon at the breaky van, William says he loves creating “an immediate, real impact with people.”

“I just love having conversations with people while I cook for them.”

“The breaky van is a great way to get involved in the community and make an impact, and although it may be small there are major benefits and you learn a lot along the way.”

Orange Sky Co-Founder and CEO, Lucas Patchett says volunteering has the ability to bring together people from all walks of life, helping them to develop bonds founded in commonality.

“Our volunteers participated in nearly 90,000 hours of conversation last year – this is 90,000 hours of building bonds and forming tangible, and long-lasting connections.”

For more information, visit orangesky.org.au.

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William volunteers with his school breaky van and hopes to continue after he graduates.
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Luke began volunteering with Orange Sky when he was just eighteen years old and tries to find time whenever he can between his Uni studies to volunteer at Orangesky. Images supplied.

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Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, has welcomed the announcement that China will lift its ban on Australian beef exports.

“This is a positive step for Australian beef farmers and producers, with the suspension of five of the bans being lifted immediately,” said Mr Willcox.

“China has always been a valued trading partner for Australian agriculture which is a trade dependent sector, exporting more than 70% of what we produce.

“My concern now is the workforce shortages that our farmers are facing.”

With Australian farmers currently working at just 60 to 70 per cent capacity, Mr Willcox said the Ag Visa desperately needs to be reinstated.

“I welcome the discussion to reinstate the Ag Visa to allow foreign workers into Australia at the right quantities and in the right places, while still having a commonsense migration policy,” he said.

“Myself, along with my National Party colleagues, will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our Australian farmers and our beef industry.”

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