Bobcat to boardroom: WDC’s booming success story

By HARRY CLARKE | SPONSORED

THE opening of Western Downs Civil’s expansive new headquarters in Chinchilla has marked a major milestone for an organisation recognised as one of the most remarkable local business success stories to come from the Surat Basin resources boom.

In just over ten years WDC, founded by Chinchilla local Josh Hardimon, has grown from a three-man, two-vehicle operation to become the region’s go-to civil construction and earthworks provider, directly employing 132 workers and generating more than $50 million in annual revenue.

The company has paid more than $54 million in wages to its 95 percent local workforce and provided more than $1 million in sponsorships to community clubs and organisations throughout the Western Downs.

Now operating from a $4.7 million new facility in Chinchilla, co-owned by WDC operations manager Cameron Fabian, and servicing mining projects as far afield as north and central Queensland, Hardimon said WDC was primed for continued growth and broader service delivery.

WDC managing director Josh Hardimon and operations manager Cameron Fabian. INSET: Staff comforts in the new headquarters. IMAGE: Country Caller

“It’s pretty awesome, what we’ve done. It’s a bit hard to explain but it’s certainly been a humbling experience,” he said.

“For a long time we’ve wanted to bring the team together and provide them with a professional setting to work. If you actually invest in facilities like this for your employees, you get it back.

“We now have a workplace that the team deserves.”

SLIDESHOW: WDC Headquarters in Chinchilla – IMAGES: Gerkies

Hardimon’s achievements with WDC and the company’s ongoing community investment has drawn enormous acclaim from Chinchilla locals and the broader business community, especially among those aware of Hardimon’s humble beginnings.

The 38-year-old grew up as a foster child in Chinchilla. After graduating from high school he moved to Toowoomba and worked for FKG Group, first as a labourer and then as an apprentice carpenter, supervisor and project administrator.

Seeing opportunity in Chinchilla at the height of the Surat Basin’s coal seam gas development, Hardimon returned home and established Western Downs Civil in 2013.

WATCH: WDC civil construction works on CS Energy’s Tesla battery pack

Starting with just a bobcat, truck, and a 13t digger loaned from local Bern Davies, WDC today has a fleet of 136 heavy vehicle assets used to service energy giants such as Shell QGC and Origin, under contracts worth more than $40 million.

The rapid development of renewable energy infrastructure has seen the company’s growth continue to accelerate.

“It’s been a lot of head down, arse up,” Hardimon said.

“It took a while to get some traction and actually build the reputation that you can execute the work, but we managed to do that and we’ve got an abundance of work for the foreseeable future. 

“We will continue on the same trajectory from our new base here in Chinchilla but we anticipate having an additional three or four new depot locations over the next five years.”

WATCH: Official opening of WDC Headquarters – VIDEO: Gerkies

As well as open plan work spaces, high end office facilities, a stunning boardroom and a spacious, tailor made workshop, WDC’s new headquarters in Chinchilla also provides staff with lounge areas, a gym and a bar.

Hardimon said the official opening of the facility this month, led by National Party leader and Maranoa MP David Littleproud, was “the proudest moment” of his professional life.

“It was a proud moment, especially for someone like myself. I love Chinchilla. I grew up here, went to school here, and we have this great business here,” he said.

“It’s not just a place to work, it’s a place to socialise and relax. We wanted a professional, corporate-type fit out that you’d expect in a Brisbane-type office out here in regional Queensland.

“People say there’s no loyalty from employees these days but there is. If you truly look after your employees – don’t just talk about it but actually give back to them – then you do get that loyalty.”

Cheyenne Hardimon, Josh Hardimon, David Littleproud, Cameron Fabian and Anna Fabian. IMAGE: Gerkies

Littleproud, who also grew up in Chinchilla, said WDC’s achievements as a company, and Hardimon’s achievements personally and as a businessman, was “what our nation is all about”.

“It’s not just a Chinchilla success story but it’s an Australian success story – a young local that’s created something from scratch that’s now employing so many people and supporting their families.

“It really is the heart and soul of what our nation is about. We should be proud of Josh not only for what he’s achieved for Chinchilla but what he’s achieving for our country. It’s businesses like his that pay the bills.”

Ray’s butterfly effect spreading happiness at “Garden of Eden”

By KATE BANVILLE

WITH health and happiness at the core of his life decisions, Ray Archer’s search for solace is spreading a little extra joy in the Lockyer Valley thanks to a dose of butterfly therapy.

Recently opened to the public, ‘The Garden of Eden’ sits on 40 acres of land at Grantham, once used to grow olive trees and create health tonics using olive leaf extract.

It was supposed to be a place for Ray and his wife Delphine Archer to return to only occasionally and to grow fresh produce, after relocating to Bribie Island upon retirement.

Now, it’s a butterfly sanctuary.

Visitors at Ray and Delphine Archer’s ‘Garden of Eden’ in Grantham. IMAGE: Supplied

Ray hoped it could help visitors ‘take the stress out of life’, if even just for a moment.

“Everybody needs some nature therapy with the dramas that they go through in life,” Ray said.

“We want people to leave their worries in the bin upon entry and leave them there on the way out.”

One of the winged wonders at The Garden of Eden. IMAGE: Country Caller

Raising butterflies is delicate work but with more than a decade of experience under his belt, Ray’s “hobby” has taken on a life of its own. 

“We have a licence for certain protected species like the Cairns birdwing and the Ulysses,” he said.

“I just wanted a hobby that was a bit peaceful, something that was going to help me to keep a bit more sane.

“The reason is because I’ve been in pretty fast moving businesses and 110 staff, nearly falling off the perch from time to time with stress.”

Ray Archer, founder of The Garden of Eden butterfly sanctuary in Grantham. IMAGE: Supplied

The Grantham based sanctuary comes after another successful volunteer-led operation on Bribie Island, established in 2014, called the Bribie Island Butterfly House.

And just as the saying goes, “from little things big things grow” –  Ray’s dedication to these little winged wonders has resulted in thousands of butterflies fluttering happiness into people’s lives.

“It’s all run by volunteers, all the profits from the Bribie Island house goes to charities,” he said.

“We don’t advertise and are only open on Wednesdays and Sundays.

“Yet in the first six years of operation we have had 120,000 visitors through and we’ve given away more than half a million dollars to many different charities.

“And so it’s been very successful beyond our expectations.”

Open only on a Sunday for four hours, a modest $5 will get you inside the Grantham greenhouse, with a prior warning from Ray that this private garden is far from being a high end tourist destination.

“This is only open because we’re a couple of 75 year olds and it’s an extra to our veggie garden,” he said.

“Delphine loves growing the veggies and caring for the trees that we plant in the orchard, where there’s probably 130 or so. 

“It’s like a secret garden in there, where we’ve placed more than 150 positive sayings for people to walk away saying they’ve taken something with them towards a happier life.” 

Mayors join calls for release of renewables report

By HARRY CLARKE

COUNCIL representatives within Queensland’s renewable energy zones have joined calls for the Federal Government to release the findings of a key document aimed to bolster reforms around the development of renewable energy infrastructure.

The Community Engagement Review, announced in July last year by climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen, promised to provide advice on the best way to maximise engagement and benefit for impacted communities in the planning, development and operation of renewables infrastructure .

The review was led by Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner (AEIC) Andrew Dyer and aimed to improve how affected communities were engaged with in regard to landholder concerns and to ensure transparency in planning processes, among other factors.

“The government is working with states, territories, communities, market bodies, and energy companies to ensure community consultation on new energy infrastructure isn’t just a tick-a-box exercise,” Bowen said when announcing the review.

“Our reforms are focused on giving better information to landholders and communities about their rights, involving communities earlier and more effectively, and properly handling any complaints.”

The review was presented to the Federal Government in December and is yet to be made public.

David Littleproud campaign against wind farm development in Oberson NSW in November. IMAGE: Facebook

Nationals leader and shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said he was now seeking access to the report under the Freedom of Information Act, accusing Bowen of “hiding behind secrecy”.

“Disclosure of the review is crucial because it’s about the future of our farming communities and how this will impact the price of food,” he said.

“The review looks at the impact on agricultural land and farmers, the treatment and rights of landowners and regional communities for renewable energy projects including wind turbines, solar panels, hydrogen and transmission lines.”

“We need to know how much productive agricultural land is earmarked, where is it earmarked and when … the projects (will) be forced onto local communities.”

Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy. IMAGE: ABC

A spokesperson for Bowen confirm the AEIC review had been received late last year, telling the Caller a report would be released “shortly once the government has considered the report findings”.

“The Opposition spent 10 years trying to stall the transformation to a cheaper, cleaner, more reliable energy system and failed to make the necessary reforms to improve how our nation building energy projects are rolled out in communities.

“The Albanese Government is taking a different approach by working with communities, jurisdictions and the sector to get it right.”

The Caller last year reported how councils in the Goondiwindi and Southern Downs regions were concerned renewable energy development was having a “net-negative” impact in their communities as they strained under increased housing, employment and infrastructure pressures brought on by development.

Goondiwindi Mayor Lawrence Springborg with Energy Minister Mick de Brenni at the first sod turning for the MacIntyre wind farm. IMAGE: Supplied

Goondiwindi mayor Lawrence Springborg, whose local government area is home to the mega $2 billion, 360-turbine MacIntyre wind farm currently under construction, said recommended improvements to community engagement processes needed to be made public “as soon as possible”.

“It’s critically important to ensure that people have confidence in the process and to also know that the authorities and officials have listened to the them, because there are some very real deficiencies in the way that the renewable energy targets have been rolled out and the lack of consideration around impact and appropriate planning,” he said.

Calls were echoed by Western Downs and Barcaldine mayors Paul McVeigh and Sean Dillon, whose councils fall within the Queensland Government’s official “Renewable Energy Zones”.

Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh. IMAGE: Country Caller

“If we are going to achieve what the state and federal governments want us to achieve in the renewable energy space and carbon mitigation, we need to understand and help support our community and those landowners that will be hosts (to renewable projects),” McVeigh said.

“To understand what the needs are we need to see what’s in the report.”

Mayor Sean Dillon said: “There is opportunity within renewable energy for regional Queensland if it’s handled right. It’s got to be done in a way that supports sensitive economic development and doesn’t preclude exisiting development such as agriculture”.

“If the government’s findings in a review are pointing towards a lack of appetite, then they have to do a lot of work explaining how meeting these ambitious targets are not going to be met with a wave of outrage in the areas that have been designated by scientists as the most advantageous for renewable energy,” he said. 

Cunnamulla Hot Springs to boost outback tourism

SUPPLIED | DAVID LITTLEPROUD MP

WESTERN Queensland’s thriving tourism sector has been given a major boost with the official opening of a new attraction in Cunnamulla.

Leader of The Nationals and Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud was on hand for Wednesday’s grand opening of the Cunnamulla Artesian Hot Springs and Warrego River Walk Experience.

The $4.992 million project was funded by the former Coalition Government’s Sustainable Rural Water Use for Infrastructure Program under the Murray-Darling Basin Economic Development Program.

After securing federal funding in 2021, the project was delivered by Paroo Shire Council using a predominantly local workforce and is expected to create more local jobs going forward.

Mr Littleproud said the official opening was a major milestone for Outback Queensland and the Maranoa electorate.

“This project will be an invaluable addition to the already thriving tourism sector in Outback Queensland and will create an outdoor space that will allow the community to host events, functions and family gatherings,” Mr Littleproud said.

Maranoa MP David Little proud with (second from right) Paroo mayor Suzette Beresford and the project team behind the Cunnamulla Artesian Hot Springs

“The geothermally heated hot baths at the Artesian Hot Springs will be a great place for locals and tourists to relax, while the Warrego River Walk gives visitors easy access to the river while also providing huge benefits to the local environment.

“I congratulate the Paroo Shire Council on the delivery of these projects and look forward to seeing the benefits they will bring to the community for many years to come.”

New festival celebrates Toowoomba’s flair for fashion

By CAITLIN CROWLEY

STAGING a high-end fashion runway show which could be the envy of regional centres nationwide is the bold vision of the creative team behind the Toowoomba Fashion Festival, coming to the city’s social calendar for the first time this March.

The glamorous new event will be a platform to celebrate and promote Darling Downs designers and boutiques, while also showcasing emerging and established brands from across Queensland and Australia.

Creative Director Julz McBain (pictured below) said the time was right for Toowoomba to host an event of this calibre, to help build on the city’s maturing food and arts culture.

“I think it’s time to stand on our own feet and have our own culture and events that showcase our talent,” McBain said.

“Our vision is that look of Australian Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Week, in Toowoomba.

“I want it to be a very high-end, editorial looking runway.

“I want it to end up being a destination for people to come, much like the Carnival of Flowers – I want people wanting to come out and visit for the Toowoomba Fashion Festival.”

McBain told the Caller it was a deliberate decision to schedule the March 16 event towards the start of the year, to help fill the gap in Toowoomba’s tourism lineup around Autumn.

“Something more than just a high tea, ladies lunch runway show – we want to be showing high-end, fashion events for them (visitors) to be proud to turn up to, so that’s the goal and hopefully we get some big names both in the audience and on the runway to join them.”

Christel Ryley from Ryley Jewellery Creations IMAGE: Supplied

The brainchild of McBain and Ryley Jewellery Creations owner Christel Ryley, the festival will include three runway shows, fashion market stalls and a VIP after party.

“As the presenting partner for the Toowoomba Fashion Festival, Ryley Jewellery Creations is honoured to bring forth an exquisite fusion of timeless elegance and contemporary style,” Christel Ryley said.

“Just as every meticulously crafted piece in our collections tells a unique story, this festival is a celebration of individuality, creativity, and the artistry that defines the world of fashion.”

Julz McBain said there had been a strong response from event partners, brands and models keen to be part of the event with hopes to eventually stage the showcase twice a year, coinciding with the release of Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer collections.

“One thing I’ve noticed is being a regional designer or a regional location for fashion, people don’t really embrace that and people don’t really wear that as a proud statement and I want to change that around as well,” she said.

“So Designers who are based in Toowoomba or the Darling Downs can proudly put down their location and know that it’s a more positive thing for them.”

Tickets to the Toowoomba Fashion Festival are on sale now.

Women copping the brunt of regional housing crisis

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By CAITLIN CROWLEY

WOMEN are being disproportionately impacted by a “tsunami” of factors which are resulting in a new demographic of “working poor” in regional Queensland, amid the state’s worsening housing crisis and rising cost of living.

Toowoomba women’s support centre Protea Place has seen demand for help skyrocket, pointing to more than a decade of under-investment in social and affordable housing and the scourge of domestic and family violence as some of the issues compounding the struggles facing women searching for secure accommodation.

“The housing crisis has joined up with a whole heap of other elements within the economy that really create what is often called a tsunami or the perfect storm around homelessness,” CEO Amanda Dalton said.

“We’re seeing a lot of people that have never, ever had to reach out for help, ever – so it’s impacting a lot wider.”

The 4 Pink Wheels campaign will highlight the issue of Downs women sleeping in cars. IMAGE: Supplied

Single women over 55 have been identified as Australia’s fastest growing homeless cohort, with 500 Darling Downs and South West women estimated to be experiencing homelessness right now.

“We’ve also got cohorts of women that have escaped violence – we know that domestic and family violence is the highest cause of homelessness for women and children,” Dalton said.

“Add to that, a housing crisis where there are no properties, which drives up the prices – what is there, simply isn’t affordable.

“The rising cost of living is really adding to an already disastrous situation for many women.”

Amanda Dalton in the 4 Pink Wheels campaign vehicle. IMAGE: Supplied

Dalton (pictured above) told the Caller, rental prices in Toowoomba had become “out of reach” for a lot of people, even those who are working.

“We speak to a lot of women who are sleeping in their cars but they have jobs to go to,” she said.

“We have the thing coming back of the ‘working poor’ – they’re not able to make ends meet, they’re not able to secure accommodation and pay rent, keep vehicles on the road, pay for food or medication.”

Dalton said it was difficult to get accurate data on how many women were actually homeless, as they tended to couch surf or sleep in their car.

“Women don’t generally sleep in the park or just on the street, they’re hidden away,” she said.

4 Pink Wheels ambassadors Dan Dwan, Robyn Ryan, Anton Griffiths, CEO Amanda Dalton, Cr Megan O’Hara Sullivan, Anita Armanasco and Andrew Wielandt. IMAGE: Supplied

Protea Place has just launched a new fundraising campaign called 4 Pink Wheels, where teams and individuals are being encouraged to sleep out in their vehicle at Grand Central next month, to experience for a night what is a daily reality for those who don’t have a safe place to call home.

The organisation wants to raise $100,000 to keep its doors open, having seen donations and sponsorships fall away as cost of living pressures bite.

Further west and Goondiwindi Regional Council (GRC) adopted a Local Housing Action Plan this week, which made 17 recommendations to the Queensland Government including moving government employees out of the existing rental pool and into new government housing and re-introducing rent-to-own strategies for low-income and vulnerable people.

“The Queensland Government need to house their own employees and replace housing stock that has been sold off in recent years,” the Action Plan stated.

The plan also identified that the cost of private rentals in Goondiwindi had impacted the recruitment and retention of police officers, and that there had been no rooms available for prac teachers to rent.

“We continue to experience an extremely tight rental market in the region and Council wants to be proactive in doing all it can to encourage private sector development to relieve rental pressure,” Mayor Lawrence Springborg said.

The southern Queensland town of Goondiwindi has a rental vacancy rate of 0.1%. IMAGE: Goondiwindi Regional Council

GRC also extended its rebate for all Council costs associated with new multi-dwellings built before 2025, and building approvals in place by end of 2023.

“Over the past 12 months, the multi-dwelling incentive has generated interest from a range of investors, and we have extended the timelines to maximise the potential rental property growth in the region,” Springborg said.

“Increasing rental property vacancies in the region is critical for locals and businesses to attract and keep essential workers to the region.”

GRC committed to another nine housing initiatives as part of its Action Plan, including assessing the housing needs of its staff and whether more properties need to be built or if under-utilised stock could be released back onto the market.

The Queensland Government is currently spending a record $5 billion on social and affordable housing and housing and homelessness support, which it says is the “largest concentrated investment in the state’s history and will help to deliver 13,500 homes”.

$322 million was committed in last year’s state budget to build 500 more social homes by June 30 2025 and $64.3 million was allocated for the purchase and lease of emergency accommodation facilities.

A vacant Inglewood aged care facility is among the latest properties to be identified for redevelopment, with the Miles Government announcing this week it will partner with GRC to deliver five affordable homes for seniors who need housing support.

“The government firmly believes that every Queenslander deserves a roof over their head, which is why we are investing in projects throughout the state,” Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said.

Amanda Dalton said current efforts to purchase properties for affordable housing were needed on a much “faster and bigger scale”.

“We need to free up more properties straight away – they need to purchase more immediate properties because without homes, we are going to struggle. All the refuges are backlogged,” she said.

“They also need to be investing in support services that are carrying the load at the front – services like Protea Place.”

Homelessness Australia estimates an additional $450 million in homelessness support is needed to respond to new people needing assistance and people currently being turned away.

Good news brewing at old bush printing press

By HARRY CLARKE

HOLD the front page – there’s good news brewing at the site of an historic country printing press.

A group of teachers in Chinchilla, whose friendship was formed on their shared love for a cold beer and their passion for micro brewing, is going into business in the hope of building on a tasty new tourism experience in the town.

Chinchilla State High School teachers Brian Hobson, Glen Ivers, Steve Johnson and Brad Hubbard, along with their spouses and the Hubbards’ daughter, Goondiwindi-based teacher Emma Hubbard, are converting the former Chinchilla News printing press building into a micro brewery.

The group initially formed as a beer brewing social club based in a vacant convent building next door to the local St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School.

The old Chinchilla News building is being converted into a microbrewery. IMAGE: Country Caller

As the beer flowed, soon came the idea of taking their social hobby further.

“Word gets around among teachers, and teachers aren’t shy to get around a beer on a Friday afternoon,” Brian Hobson said.

“I’ve been brewing for quite some time and it’s probably been a bit more than a hobby. I teach it as part of my chemistry course. Fermentation is a part of organic chemistry and during Covid the production of alcohol for hand sanitiser was a talking point.

“I’d become aware of a school in Brisbane that was offering a Cert 3 in malting and brewing for students in Year 11 and 12. I talked it over with our school principal and we got a little excited about doing that in Chinchilla.

“So those kinds of ideas were fermenting at the time.”

Chinchilla high school teacher and beer brewing enthusiast Brian Hobson at the former Chinchilla New printing press. IMAGE: Country Caller

The beer flowed further and the idea escalated into setting up a microbrewery and public bar venue, where the beer swilling educators could make a dollar selling craft beers while also teaching students and beer enthusiasts the art of brewing.

The for-sale former Chinchilla News office was the ideal location.

“When you can make something that is your own, there is a sense of achievement and pride with that,” Hobson said.

“I can’t build, I can’t cut timber straight or make walls and all that sort of thing, but I think I can brew a decent beer. Steve has a background in running cafes, and he and Brad know how to use tools.”

Steve Johnson in the process of fashioning Chinchilla’s old printing press office into a microbrewery. IMAGE: Country Caller

The teachers have spent the school holidays gutting the former Chinchilla headquarters and converting it into a microbrewery and bar.

Their plan is to maintain the newspaper printing heritage within their venue, through the brewery’s name and the venue’s decor. Defunct printing press machinery remains inside the building and they plan to keep it as a feature of the venue.

“We want to bring people into Chinchilla. We’d love to maintain that heritage of the Chinchilla News and the history of what this building was. It’s kind of a happy marriage of those two things,” Hobson said.

Chinchilla high school teacher turned craft beer brewer Glen Ivers. IMAGE. Country Caller

Incidentally, the teachers’ project isn’t the only micro-brewery being established in Chinchilla, with the construction of Charley’s Creek Brewing Co also underway on the other side of town.

Glenn Ivers said the two local breweries would compliment one another, as opposed to becoming competitors.

“I think there’s room for everyone,” he said.

“It’s odd to have two breweries operating in a small town, but I think it’s a positive thing because people might tour out here and been keen to go to couple of different venues. If people are into brewing then they’re going to come and have a look at both. 

“I think we’re ideally located because people can come here and have their micro brewery experience and then go on to the other brewery, or walk across to the pub.”

The old newsroom on Mayne St in Chinchilla is starting to resemble a craft beer bar. IMAGE: Country Caller

Produce price gap taking mental health toll on farmers

By CAITLIN CROWLEY

EYE-WATERING produce prices at Australia’s supermarkets are contributing to the mental health crisis among the nation’s farmers, with one Southern Queensland beef producer describing the chasm between what farmers are paid and what consumers are charged as a “bitter pill to swallow”.

Nobby farmer Belinda Callanan told the Caller, it was tough to walk into a supermarket and see meat priced at $40 a kilo, when farmers had received $2 a kilo for animals they’ve fed for the last two or three years.

“It’s not a good look, when you’re paying $49kg for a piece of rib fillet in a butcher shop or a supermarket and myself as a farmer, a producer, is only getting $1.98c a kilo for a feeder steer,” Callanan said.

“And you know damn well how much it does cost to butcher it and get it to the abattoirs and so forth, so somebody’s making money and it sure as heck isn’t the farmer.

“It doesn’t do your mental health any good.”

Darling Downs beef producer Belinda Callanan. IMAGE: Country Caller

Queensland Farmers’ Federation CEO Jo Sheppard (pictured) said it was confronting to sit with farmers and hear how diminishing returns, tightening margins and increasing red tape and compliance requirements were forcing them to consider exiting farming.

“Some of these farmers are third and fourth generation farmers who are the best of the best when it comes to business experience, efficiency and productivity,” Sheppard said.

“You can visibly see the heartbreak on their faces as they tell their story.”

Pressure is mounting for the Australian Consumer and Competition Authority (ACCC) to investigate alleged price gouging and Queensland Premier Steven Miles has written to the CEOs of all major supermarkets requesting a meeting to address the imbalance between farmer profits and grocery prices.

A recent industry report from AUSVEG found 34 percent of Australia’s vegetable growers were looking to exit the industry over the next 12 months.

Jo Sheppard said while the QFF welcomed the interest Premier Miles had shown in the issue, an “wholistic approach” was needed when looking at the nation’s food production system.

She said the QFF supported further reforms in the areas of transparency, fair contracts and managing power imbalances within the market, but that it was important for all factors creating challenges for farmers were considered in the discussion.

“This includes the impact of weather events on farming enterprises, the cost to farmers of rapid industrial relations reforms that have been rolled out over the past 12 months, increasing red and green tape requirements, and the cost of vital inputs across the board,” she said.

“Cumulatively these impacts are eroding profitability and productivity for farmers, who at the end of the day, are often price takers with little or no opportunity to pass on any of these costs.”

The latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released late last year, found 53 percent of producers were expecting business conditions to deteriorate in the year ahead, up from 43 percent in the previous quarter.

Last week the Albanese Government appointed former Federal Trade Minister Dr Craig Emerson to lead the 2023-24 review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, which was introduced to improve the standards of business behaviour in the food and grocery sector and regulates the conduct of retailers and wholesalers towards suppliers.

“As a Government we’re taking a fresh look at the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct to make sure the sector is giving consumers and suppliers a fair deal,” Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.

“When the price of meat and fruit and veggies comes down for supermarkets, it should come down for families as well – it’s a big chance for the big supermarkets to do the right thing.”

National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochink

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has welcomed the move, with hopes the action will give the Code “the teeth it needs to fix a system failing consumers and farmers.”

“The code is failing farmers and we’ve said for a long time it should be made mandatory,” NFF President David Jochinke said.

“We need to get to the bottom of why there’s a growing gap between what farmers get paid and what produce is being sold for on supermarket shelves.

“It’s not just supermarkets we need answers from, we need to know who else in the supply chain is clipping the ticket and sending food prices skywards.”

Cunninghams’ racing “tree change” at Ridgmont

By HARRY CLARKE

UPDATE: The Cunninghams’ speedy cold, Storm Boy, won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic

BURGEONING thoroughbred breeding establishment Ridgmont will likely be adding some pet ponies to its stables this year, as owner Mitchell Cunningham and wife Stephanie prepare to move their young family from Brisbane to live permanently at the business’s Hunter Valley home.

Cunningham, whose family are part owners of favourite Storm Boy the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic, said their forthcoming move to rural NSW would be crucial to managing Ridgmont’s continuing growth and would also offer his four children an invaluable country upbringing.

“It’s something that’s been in the pipeline for a few years,” Cunningham told the Caller.

“It’s going to be great for the business but it’s also going to be great for our children to live that life in the country that any kid would be lucky to experience.

“It’s a tree change that we’re incredibly excited for. I’m sure that the kids will immerse themselves in all that the farm life has to offer and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of pet ponies and pet bunnies and pet everything.”

Mitchell Cunningham with his father, Gary Cunningham. IMAGE: Ridgmont

The iconic Magic Millions races on the Gold Coast will top off a big month for the Cunninghams’ growing racing and breeding operation.

Their most exciting runner yet, Storm Boy trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is most fancied to win the Magic Millions 2YO and will be racing in the Cunninghams’ gold and blue colours.

Ridgmont has also reached new heights in its long term mission to become one of Australia’s leading producers of quality thoroughbreds.

This week the farm had a draft of 13 horses go through the sales ring, doubling their average sale price and gross sales from their inaugural draft in 2023.

Their biggest earner was a well-related and highly popular colt by legendary stallion Frankel, which sold on Thursday for $750,000.

Ridgmont groom Jakub Vitek with the stable’s star colt, by Frankel – Edith Piaf, before the horse’s Magic Millions sale. IMAGE: Ridgmont

“When you buy a mare and you put her in foal, it’s two years before you’re able to sell that stock, so the business case is spread over two years,” Cunningham said.

“There’s a bit of inertia to overcome before you’re able to get a return on your investment, so you’ll see over the next two years the Ridgmont drafts continue to grow alongside the more significant investment we’ve been making in broodmares.

“We’re very aspirational about where we want to take the farm. We’re not in a rush to get there but we’re taking the small steps every year towards getting the farm to where we think it can go.

“I’ve spent the past two years not only buying broodmares and investing in farm infrastructure, but I’ve also really been focussing on gathering the right people.

“We’ve got a team at Ridgmont now who have hundreds of years’ experience between them, and you can see their hard work in the quality of the stock at these sales.”

Mitchel Cunningham with bloodstock agent Jim Clarke at the Newmarket races in the UK. IMAGE: Supplied

Cunningham previously worked for ten years as a pilot for Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong, before returning to Brisbane and establishing a successful chain of gyms, which he then sold.

The Cunningham family purchased an interest in Ridgmont, near Scone, in 2019 and have since acquired full ownership of the operation.

The 178ha (440-acre) property on the prestigious Segenhoe Rd is now home to about 80 mares which are owned by the Cunningham family and clients of Ridgmont.

Cunningham said regardless of Storm Boy’s performance today, the 2024 Magic Millions had been a successful outing for Ridgmont and the Cunningham family.

The Cunninghams’ colt Storm Boy, favourite in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. IMAGE: Twitter / @Ridgmont

“This whole week is an incredibly busy but exciting time on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“Magic Millions is such a great week. Whether you have a runner on race day or not, it’s exciting to debate which horses you think will win and which horses you like. 

“It’s such a spectacle. It’s very special for us to just have a horse in the race, let alone have the favourite. I think he’s a genuine chance to win the race and to go on with it and become something pretty special.”

Long awaited Rookwood Weir water ready to flow

By CAITLIN CROWLEY

THE ECONOMIC benefits of the largest weir to be built in Australia since the Second World War are on the cusp of flowing across Central Queensland after summer downpours left the newly completed Rookwood Weir spilling for the first time.

The significant milestone came just a month after the half-a-billion dollar project was officially finished in November last year, giving Central Queensland the first glimpse of what the “game changing” project will mean for the region’s water security.

The Caller can confirm the first successful applicants for water allocations may be able to access the new supply option as early as April, now that the weir is full and contract negotiations are in the final stages.

Testing of Rookwood Weir has progressed thanks to downpours in December. IMAGE: Sunwater

The weir can hold 86,000 megalitres of water – around 34,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – for 60kms upstream and is currently sitting at 122 percent capacity after starting to spill on December 27.

“We will begin to see the regional benefits from this first fill of the weir in no time, with flows reaching Rockhampton and beyond,” Rockhampton MP Barry O’Rourke said.

“We are now much closer to being able to provide landholders successful in the Rookwood Weir water sales with access to this precious resource.”

More than 36,000 megalitres of water from the weir has been allocated to agricultural use, from grain, fruit and nut cropping to livestock production.

“While wet commissioning and testing of the weir’s elements began in December 2023, the weir filling and spilling will allow us to expedite the testing process,” Sunwater CEO Glenn Stockton (pictured left) told the Caller.

“Rookwood Weir is managing this first event well and passing outflows safely downstream towards our Eden Ban Weir, which is also spilling and currently at 120 per cent, an increase of approximately 300 per cent since 22 December 2023.”

A Sunwater spokesperson said landholders who were successful in Rookwood Weir water sales were also completing contractual requirements to finalise access to their water entitlements and that Sunwater was aiming for water to be available for use before the end of the wet season, around April or May this year.

“Sunwater completed the first stage of the tender process in December 2020, providing 30,000 megalitres of medium priority water for agricultural and non-urban use to Rural Funds Management and Argyle Capital Partners,” the spokesperson said.

“In June 2022, Sunwater confirmed the 21 successful landholders to receive a combined 6082 megalitres of water following the completion of a second water tender process.”

One of the beneficiaries of the new water supply will be Mort & Co’s new Gogango Feedlot, in partnership with Rural Funds Management who owns the land and water allocation.

The 36,500 head feedlot will employ more than 65 full time staff, turnover 125,500 cattle annually and include a $15 million fertiliser plant which will repurpose the 43,000 tonnes of manure generated, turning it into a carbon-based granule fertiliser.

It’s estimated the feedlot will contribute $31.1 million to Rockhampton’s economy and inject $53.2 million into the regional economy.

At the official celebration of the weir’s construction in November last year, Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said the weir would help diversify Central Queensland’s economy and “create good, long-term jobs”.

“Over the next 20 years, this weir will provide about $3.5 billion in additional value to agriculture in this part of Queensland,” he said.

The Rookwood Weir project, which was also known as the Lower Fitzroy River Infrastructure Project, was first promised by then-Premier Peter Beattie back in 2006, but it would be more than a decade before a detailed business case was completed in 2017.

After securing state and federal funding and a range of government approvals, early works on the weir started in late 2020.

A Sunwater spokesperson told the Caller, remaining water available from the weir has not be allocated yet and will be available for sale in the future.