In Britain, farmers are desperate for rainfall to save crops
For the past few weeks, Radio National Breakfast has investigated the dire effects of the drought engulfing South Australia, and parts of western Victoria and New South Wales... But Australian farmers aren't the only ones in desperate need of a drop of rain.
In Britain, record sunshine and scant wet weather has left farmers desperate for rainfall to save their crops…
It comes at a time of significant upheaval across the UK's agricultural industry – with changes in inheritance tax and three agriculturally significant deals signed in the last month.
Guest: Andrew Meredith, editor of Farmers Weekly
Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor
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News.com.au
28 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Buyer beware': Huge change to how homes are sold in Qld
Queensland's real estate industry is bracing for new laws which will make it the nation's most regulated major market – but buyers' advocates say the reforms still fall short. The landmark seller disclosure scheme effective from August 1 will 'fundamentally alter' how homes are sold, according to industry experts. Sellers will have to share a wide range of details about their property before contracts are exchanged, including zoning, rates and water charges, tree orders or heritage listing, government orders requiring work or money, and any building work carried out by an owner-builder in the last six years. But the pendulum still swings to 'buyer beware', with controversial omissions including the structural soundness of the building or pest infestation, the presence of asbestos, and any history of flood or other natural hazards. Real Estate Institute of Queensland CEO Antonia Mercorella said the changes to the Property Law Act was one of the most significant since it was introduced in 1974. 'While this is a meaningful change that enhances consumer protection, it's important for buyers to understand that the seller's disclosure regime may not prescribe or encompass everything they may wish to know about a property, and accordingly they should still conduct their own due diligence,' Ms Mercorella said. 'The 'buyer beware' principle continues to apply in Australia.' Ms Mercorella said the peak body had been pushing for a clearer disclosure process for more than a decade, which had been 'largely delivered' by the legislation. Challenges included ensuring sellers had easy and low-cost access to the information they had to reveal to buyers. Brisbane buyers agent Melinda Jennison said the updated minimum disclosure requirements lacked in areas 'buyers are commonly exposed to risk'. 'It would have been great if sellers were required to disclose any uncertified or unapproved building work that had taken place at the property,' Ms Jennison said. 'Sellers should also be obligated to disclose any previous building or pest defects that have been identified in the past, even if those issues have since been addressed. 'The availability of past inspection outcomes would provide an important layer of transparency for buyers.' Ms Jennison said this information would allow buyers to make better informed decisions, rather than having to undertake costly investigations of their own after contracts were exchanged. Property lawyer Bryce Melville, of Redemont, said Queensland's new seller law was tougher than its counterparts in NSW and Victoria, noting seven specific disclosures that were not required by either of the two other states. 'Sellers and agents need to prepare now,' Mr Melville said. 'For the first time, sellers must provide a full set of disclosure documents, including title searches, planning certificates and environmental notices, before a contract is signed, or risk the contract becoming void. 'The changes bring Queensland in line with Victoria and NSW, but go even further, setting a new national benchmark for buyer protection.' Chris Burling, of Business Depot Legal, said the reform aimed to boost transparency and avoid disputes by giving buyers crucial information upfront. But it was 'not a free pass', Mr Burling said. 'Unlike other states such as NSW and Victoria, Queensland has historically operated under a 'buyer beware' model, placing the onus on the buyer to uncover crucial property details through independent due diligence,' Mr Burling said. 'This has often left buyers vulnerable to unexpected risks and financial loss if key issues weren't identified before entering into a contract.' The new rules were expected to create a ripple effect through the market, potentially delaying off-market deals and auctions as sellers would need to engage a solicitor earlier to prepare the disclosure documents. Ms Jennison said the reforms, while 'a step in the right direction', left room for improvement. 'In particular, standardising the disclosure of known historical issues would significantly reduce buyer vulnerability and improve transparency across the market.'
Daily Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
The Sell: Dina Broadhurst and Max Shepherd sell Darling Point apartment pre-auction
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ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
'Heartbreaking' algal bloom hits metropolitan Adelaide beaches
The South Australian government says some of the algal bloom that has been plaguing the state's coastline and Coorong has now been pushed to metropolitan beaches. Beachgoers and scientists have been discovering a wake of dead marine life washing up on Adelaide beaches, including Glenelg, Grange and Semaphore. Marine biologist Mike Bossley has spent thousands of hours roaming the beach in his lifetime, but since Tuesday has sighted species he's never seen on the shore. "Different kinds of rays and sharks, lots of pipefish, things called ling, which is a very unusual thing. I've never seen them washed up on the beach before, and lots of species of fish that I don't even know the names of," he said. A marine heatwave brought on the harmful algal bloom, causing discoloured water and foam in the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and the Coorong. Surfers and swimmers started reporting falling ill after being in the water in March, and countless dead creatures have since washed up all over the state's coastline. Environment Minister Susan Close confirmed the impact on metropolitan beaches was in part due to recent weather events. "Partly because some of the bloom has been pushed towards us, but also because we've had a big storm, that some of the dead marine life that's come out of the gulf has now washed up onto our coastline," she said. Citizen scientists have been reporting dead fish washing up closer to the city throughout the past month, from Sellicks to North Haven. But Dr Bossley said there had been a swell in dead marine life on the shore since Tuesday's storm. "I was appalled when I came here [to the beach] and it was just dead marine life, dead fish everywhere, and sharks, rays, all sorts of stuff," he said. Glenelg North resident Ali Wylie is a frequent beachgoer and was concerned to see the carnage on the seashore. "I had no idea that the algal bloom had got here, but it's so — it's just heartbreaking," she said. "I was heartbroken at Coorong, I couldn't bear to look at the footage, and now it's here. What can we do?" Rodney Shugg said he had also been seeing fish, small sharks and rays wash up dead at Semaphore Beach on walks with his dog since the storms last week. He said he had attempted to return some of the still-living marine life to the water. "Most of them were sharks, Port Jacksons; different-looking crabs that we don't normally get down here too," he said. Mr Shugg said he had been rolling over the dead sharks and rays looking for any sign of injuries but only sees redness on their undersides. He added he was concerned for dogs on the beach after hearing of a labrador that had become ill after eating something that had washed up. Marine and wildlife conservation student Emily Beckmann said she had documented more than 30 species of dead creatures at Largs North and Taperoo in the last three days. "As a passionate marine biology student, it is heartbreaking to see the animals I admire so much dead on the beach instead of thriving out in their natural environment," she said. The state government is asking people to contact Fishwatch to report dead sea life to help scientists better understand the algal bloom and potential events in the future. "The sooner we can get there and test the animals, the faster we'll know what's going on," Dr Close said. Dr Bossley said the algal bloom is a reminder that climate change "is here". "We really need to have our governments doing everything they can to deal with it." Dr Close said more needed to be done to help ecosystems bounce back after challenges like the algal bloom. "We need to look after nature so that she's more resilient in the face of this kind of pressure, and we need to understand the connection between this and climate change and really make sure that everyone's taking climate change seriously across the world," she said. The state government has described the algal bloom as stubborn but, in an update on the Department for Environment and Water website, said the latest statewide observations show sea surface temperatures have continued to decrease in shallow coastal and gulf waters. It added deeper continental shelf waters, however, continue to experience marine heatwave conditions. In the meantime, Dr Bossley is in talks with psychologists about setting up eco-grief workshops to help people cope with the devastation they're seeing. "You don't have to be a marine biologist to be really, really sad about what's happening," he said. "It's just ordinary people who walk along the beach and enjoy the beach and the marine life; they're impacted just as badly."
