Agmates

G’day Agmates,

Finding Your Way Around Agmates News.

You are on the Agmates News home page, we call it our Community News Forum. Below are headline links to:

1. Agmates Editorial written by Agmates Editor Steve Truman

2. Selected Agmates Community Members articles. written by our members.

3. Agmates Community Social Network

Visit Agmates

4. Most recent comments / posts. The 5 most recent members posts from anywhere on the site over here -> on the right. Click on the blue link at the bottom of the brief intro to go straight to the article and scroll down to the comments.

Feature – RFDS Charity Auction

Young Western QLD farmer, author and Agmates member Jame McLean is teaming up with Agmates to launch his latest book and raise money for that wonderful cause the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Jame is auctioning a personally signed copy of his latest book ‘When Blood’s Enough’ on Agmates Trader with the entire proceeds going to the RFDS.

Updates: Click on the links below to read the latest and see the live bidding.

• 23rd June - Off to a Flying Start – Senator Fiona Nash throws support behind auction

• 19th June - Auction Launch with message from the Royal Flying Doctor Service
  

Agmates Editorial

The Agmates Community Welcomes Property Rights Australia

The Farm group Property Rights Australia is the be congratulated on being the first farm organization in Australia to recognize the Agmates community and utilize its media. I personally congratulate Property Rights Australia and their board on moving on from the ‘last century’ model of farm activism to embrace this new and powerful medium.

Click on the photo of Christopher Leeds to read more …..

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At last We Are Finished – Let the Fun Begin.

At last the development work on the Agmates site is finished. I know our Agmates members have had trouble keeping up with the constant development and I’m actually suffering from development exhaustion myself.I’m aware that many of our members are relatively computer illiterate. Agmates offers the best opportunity to teach yourself the new technology. The rest of the world is miles ahead of rural and regional people in using this technology, but as a group and with each others support and the Agmates platform we can catch up quickly.

Click on photo of Steve to read more …..

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It’s Disheartening Trying to Help Those That Won’t Help Themselves

Personally I’ll admit that I’m growing weary of doing all the heavy lifting with no support, financial or otherwise. Agmates has been a labour of love for me the last two years. At the end of the day, no one can help those that won’t help themselves. If we can’t get the support of the very people we are working tirelessly to help then we need to move on and concentrate our efforts on the commercial money making potential of the site. It goes without saying that if that were to happen it would be a huge relief to many people in positions of power in the ruling establishments around the country.

Click on image Steve to read more …..

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Why An Agmates Social Network

Agamtes social network is an online community that emphasizes:

* Traditional Family Values –

* Honesty, Decency and Integrity.

* Individuals members connecting with like minded individuals.

As such we insist that our members are real people. Not companies, not organizations, not phantoms, just real live people like those that you meet in person in your community each day. Your family, your friends.

Click on the image to read more …..

*****

Its Time To Support Our Food & Fibre Producers

If Australians don’t make a decision soon to actively support our food and fibre producers just like our manufacturing industries they will be be gone forever. Free Trade is a cancer that is eating away at our food and fibre producers. Its time we acknowledged the Free Trade cancer. Once we acknowledge it exists we can treat it. Maybe we have left it to long? But we must try.

Click on the image to read more …..

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Selected Community Member Articles

Bloggers versus Journalists – may the honest man win!

Agmates member and NSW farmer Sue Maynes writes on her blog:

This news, he states, comes from trained, highly paid journalists who spend their days searching out truth and facts, committed to presenting unbiased reports to the community, adding the element of interest without discarding veracity. “Responding to the publics’ right to know”, he propounds. “Quality journalism” he oozes. And he goes on to state that the rise of net media are part of the future, but of course, sadly, are open to that most dreaded of people – the “bloggers”. So I ponder to myself – what are bloggers?

Click on the photo of Sue to read more …..

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Algae is heating and Killing The Ocean and Not Farmers

Agmates member and marine researcher John Fairfax writes on his blog:

Farmers are being blamed for nutrient pollution runoff without sewage nutrient pollution being even identified or measured to determine sources of the TOTAL nutrient load causing damage. Wrong diagnosis is occurring and therefore solutions are not being implemented. There is need for complete science.

Click on Photo of John to read more …..

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My Story – Bobby Calves

Agmates member and Victorian farmer Rebecca Bailey writes on her blog:

I would have stumbled on agmates on my never ending search for information. We live in a small community and job prospects are very limited, my husband was retrenched in december last year and has only been able to get casual work since, as we don’t wish to move we need to find alternate sources of income.

Click on image of Rebecca’s children to read more …..

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Bluegums – MIS, Greast Southern, Timbercorp & Australian Ag Part #3

Agmates member Roger Crook has an intimate knowledge of the industry from its origins in WA and writes:

Landowners responded to the fear tactics employed by Timbercorp and the other companies fed off that fear.

Land and lease values showed spectacular growth as the blue gum plantation industry grew and grew in WA until it collapsed like a deck of gambler’s cards. What happened in the intervening years? In the fifteen years since the beginning to the end as we know it.

Click on photo of Roger to read more …..

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WHEN it comes to email scams, I’m a major target

It seems that way, after news items this week highlighted just two scams aimed at separating a couple of local residents from their hard-earned cash. Well, over the past month, I’ve had about 20 claiming to be from banks or financial institutions, which have had the delete button running hot.

But I’ve been a target since long before that. Hasn’t everybody with a computer, or is it just me sending out a big “sucker” signal when I log on?

Click on the photo of John to read more …..

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Surviving When Debt Turns Bad Part #4

Agmates member St Botolph writes: Here is part 4 -

“What options Do I have When The Bank Demands It’s Money back?.” in the 12 post series – Surviving When Debt Turns Bad.

Click on the image of St Botolph to read more …..

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Breaking Fox News – EPA buried study showing Global Warming Not Critical – Video

Agmates member JeffT writes:

Breaking News – From Fox News — Video

“This thing is Phony” – Assign it to the scrap heap.

Interview with US Senator James Inhofe on Youtube

Click on image of Video to read more and watch…..

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Barnaby Joyce on the ETS, the United States and Australia

Mr Rudd is today lauding the vote in the United States known as the American Clean Energy Act (otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey Bill) as the indelible truth and righteousness of his position. Don’t laud an American position if you don’t want to emulate the principals that brought it about.

Click on the photo of Barnaby to read more …..

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There are solutions to overcoming uncertain times

Agmates member Ross Newman writes: It depends on who you talk to as to the current state of Queensland’s and possibly Australia’s agriculture industry. If you listen to ABARE …. apparently Agriculture is booming. But if you speak with producers at the coal face, particularly graziers, the situation is vastly different.

Click on photo of Ross to read more ……. Note link is to the article at Ross’s blog on the Community site. You will have to join the social network if you wish to leave a comment there.

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One Year Of Wheat Deregulation – Reaping What You Sow

NSW Senator and Deputy Senate Leader of the Nationals Fiona Nash writes: Tuesday June 23 marked the first anniversary of the end of the single desk wheat exporting marketing system and the first troubled year for growers under the new arrangements.

Approximately 30 disgruntled Wheat Growers and their families attended Parliament House in Canberra in a rally to register their protest on the anniversary of the axing of the single desk.

Click on the photo of Fiona to read more …..

*****

Sport

• NRL – League HQ All the NRL News

• AFL – All the AFL News

• Rugby – All the Super 14 News

.

Previous Community News Forums

To Browse all previous Community News Forums & articles Click HERE.

Rural News

.

Entertainment

This is Good, have a listen – YouTube mashup star Kutiman unveils ThruYOU

• Online Suduko & Crosswords

The Farm group Property Rights Australia is the be congratulated on being the first farm organization in Australia to recognize the Agmates community and utilize its media.

Since founding the Agmates community 2 years ago our biggest detractors and most resistant groups have been the established farm organizations.

Isn’t that incredible. At Agmates we work tirelessly for the betterment of rural and regional communities and the farm organizations have worked tirelessly to block us.

Agmates has been very critical of many of these organizations, but we are also quick to hand out praise, where its due. As we clearly state , we support anything that is good for rural and regional communities and we are critical of anything that is not. We make no apologies for that. We hold those that are supposed to represent us accountable.

PRA Director Chris Leeds

I personally congratulate Property Rights Australia and their board on moving on from the ‘last century’ model of farm activism to embrace this new and powerful medium.

Check out and join Property Rights Australia’s Community Group site HERE.

I also congratulate Christopher Leeds on leading the way for the Property Rights Australia members into the brave and powerful  new world of multimedia.

As Warren NSW Farmer Rob Wass said to me yesterday.

“Using the Agmates Community has lead me to realize that we farmers are still operating in the 1950’s era. The Green groups and  others that have been running rings around us for years have been using this media to communicate and influence.

We think being active is writing a letter to the Land (NSW) newspaper and hoping they will publish it. This is instant communication with people we have never met but are going through exactly what we are, even though they may be in Western Australia.

We (farmers) might be well behind the eight ball, but when we get onto something we catch up in  a hurry.”

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END

Have Your Say!

Steve Truman

At last the development work on the Agmates site is finished. I know our Agmates members have had trouble keeping up with the constant development and I’m actually suffering from development exhaustion myself.

I started out two years ago with a vision in mind of what the site would look like and its there now. I won’t be making any more changes.

Its been a work in progress. The alternative would have been to spend a millions of dollars and get it all set up and then launch it.- I kid you not that it would have taken millions of dollars to develop the site to where it is now. Just look at the Grocery Choices web site that the Australian government spent $13 million on developing. It never worked and has been taken down.

But I’ve developed it as we have gone along and now it’s finished.

The Agmates site is unique and  contains 4 parts:

1. E-traders – Unique search engine driven business web sites
2. Trader – Display / classified ads  & Auction listings.
3. Agmates News Blog
4. Agmates Social Community.

I feel sorry for our loyal members that I’ve had to drag along through the 2 year development phase. It’s just the way its had to be.

But I promise we have finished and you can now use it with confidence. There is a huge amount of features on the site. To many to describe in detail. All I can suggest is that it will be a journey of discovery for each member as they use it in their business and personal lives.

One thing you can trust is that it is a safe and secure environment for you to expand your online presence, be it business or pleasure.

I’m aware that many of our members are relatively computer illiterate. Agmates offers the best opportunity to teach yourself the new technology. The rest of the world is miles ahead of rural and regional people in using this technology, but as a group and with each others support and the Agmates platform we can catch up quickly.

From the start I’ve always relied on the fact that if we built our community members and users a reliable, safe, useful and interesting place to inhabit online then our members would be our best sales force in recommending it to their friends.

That’s worked really well up to now and I don’t see why that will change. There is nothing else on the web like Agmates.

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END

Agmates Founder and editor Steve Truman.

Have Your Say!

Steve Truman

Lifes a funny thing. Last night I sent out our regular email to over 10,000 subscribers.

In that email I asked people to help themselves by joining what I believe will become the largest network of like minded people in the world.

Agmates Social Community is a Free platform for like minded people to meet and connect and overcome the tyranny of distance, isolation and the monopoly of the mainstream media. It is very important as it a tremendous visual representation of the size of our community. When your seeking to be heard as a group size is very important.

The response from our members to that request has been appalling, with just 12 people signing up and I’ll confess it is has lead me to re-evaluate what I am doing.

Agmates has championed the cause of people who have been disenfranchised and marginalized by the shift of political and social power to the intellectual elite who make decisions that adversely affect our lives each day over cups of Soy lattes in trendy inner city cafes.

Agmates already is the sole voice of these people in Australia. It is the only widely distributed and read media in Australia (over 35,000 readers) that is a voice for grassroots people. People who work in Agriculture, in mining, in retail, in manufacturing in rural and regional communities.

So once again whilst people tell us how much they love and appreciate what we do for them they are not prepared to do even the smallest of thing to help us and in doing so help themselves.

Agmates has championed the causes of rural and regional Australians for the last two years through Agmates News at zero cost to those that have benefited most. Agmates has unprecedented access to politicians and the halls of power.

We have built a credible alternative media that gives people a voice, where the mainstream media still ignores them. In return I’ve asked them to support us with their advertising (at very cheap rates) and they have not. We’ve now provided a platform for them to band together in an online community that overcomes the tyranny of distance and isolation and they won’t, even though it costs nothing.

Personally I’ll admit that I’m growing weary of doing all the heavy lifting with no support, financial or otherwise. Agmates has been a labour of love for me the last two years. The realities are thought that we all have bills to pay and food to put on the table.

At the end of the day, no one can help those that won’t help themselves. If we can’t get the support of the very people we are working tirelessly to help then we need to move on and concentrate our efforts on the commercial money making potential of the site.

It goes without saying that if that were to happen it would be a huge relief to many people in positions of power in the  ruling  establishments around the country.

*****

END

Agmates Founder – Steve Truman

Have Your say!

Agmates member JeffT writes:

Breaking News

From Fox News -- Video

“This thing is Phony” -- Assign it to the scrap heap.

Interview with US Senator James Inhofe on Youtube

Report: EPA buried study showing Global Warming Not Critical

Dissenting report written by two EPA employees

Makes Climate Change Bill (Waxman-Markey) American Clean Energy bill unnecessary.

Using Kevin Rudd’s example of the Waxman-Markey bill being passed through the US lower house to hasten passage of Australia’s CPRS bill through the Senate -- if the US bill comes off the rails after the Senate recess, should not our Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme bill do the same?

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END

First published Here.

Have Your Say!

Leader of the Nationals in the Senate Barnaby Joyce writes:

.

Barnaby Joyce

Mr Rudd is today lauding the vote in the United States known as the American Clean Energy Act (otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey Bill) as the indelible truth and righteousness of his position.

So let’s have a close look at what actually happened with this vote.

More than 200 Democrats voted for it and 44 four voted against it.

In Australian parlance those 44 would be describes as ‘crossing the floor’, eight Republicans voted for it, likewise crossing the floor, in the other direction and 168 voted against.

The vote got through on a razors edge of 219 to 212.

Is Mr Rudd therefore endorsing the Democratic principal so well demonstrated in this vote that if you don’t believe in something you don’t vote for it?

Is Mr Rudd brave enough, if he truly believes in this principal and truly believes this global warming issue, to accord the people in his own party, who don’t believe in the Combet-Wong-Rudd Bill, to not vote for it on the premise that those on the other side of Parliament, who do believe in it, that they can.

Is Mr Rudd willing to have the Democratic principal break out in the way people vote or does he want the totalitarian dictate of what I say the Labor party must do and not only the Labor party but everybody else in the Parliament as well?

Don’t laud an American position if you don’t want to emulate the principals that brought it about.

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END

Have Your Say!

What is the Agmates Social Network?

Visit Agmates

Agamtes social network is an online community that emphasizes:

• Traditional Family Values -

• Honesty, Decency and Integrity.

• Individuals members connecting with like minded individuals.

As such we insist that our members are real people. Not companies, not organizations, not phantoms, just real live people like those that  you meet in person  in your community each day. Your family, your friends.

We do not allow swearing, abuse, pornography, spam or commercialized promotion on our member pages. If this does not suit people there are a million other places to go on the internet that you’ll find that stuff if you want it.

Agmates Social Network offers a safe family friendly place for real people to meet and  stay connected with each other.

Its Free for our members, but who pays for it all.

The second side of our community is our Groups. Groups are populated by Businesses, Organization, Political Parties, Charities and Service Providers who are register on our Trader Site.

• E-traders – Businesses who pay $572 a year for their e-trader site can set up a group that members and their customers can join to keep up with product and service offerings, news and information that business offers.

• Stud Breeders – who pay $385 a year for their Trader Stud page set up a group that members and their clients can join to keep up with their news, sales and information.

• Community Groups – who pay $385 a year for their Trader Community page set up a group that members and supporters  can join to keep up with the news and activity of the group. Charities – operate a group at no charge.

At the end of the day it will be up to our members as to whether they want a community like this or not. If they do, they will join and invite their family and friends. If not they won’t.

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END

Have Your Say!

G’day Agmates we are currently doing a scheduled site upgrade. As a result I have not published today and won’t be tonight.

You won’t see much other disruption. The maintenance does not affect the comments section on Agmates News or the new social site. However we have turned off the Trader and E-trader listings whilst the maintenance continues. That means you can still see the listing, you just can’t make a new listing.

We expect to be finished the entire upgrade by the early hours of tomorrow morning, but hopefully you won’t even notice its happening.

I’ll update this by 8am tomorrow the 27th of June – Brisbane Australia time.

Cheers – Agmates Founder Steve Truman.

G’day Agmates,

Finding Your Way Around Agmates News.

You are on the Agmates News home page, we call it our Community News Forum. Below are headline links to:

1. Agmates Editorial written by Agmates Editor Steve Truman

2. Selected Agmates Community Members articles. written by our members.

3. Agmates Community Members Forum.

In many ways this is the most important part of the Agmates Community News site. This is really our community Billboard if you like.

Its where our members post any their thoughts, ideas, general information, coming event notices, photos , Youtube Videos, groups and organizations press releases and links to relevant, interesting news items articles that they want to share, comment on and discuss with others in the community.

Scroll down through the forum for heaps of interesting stuff.

4. Most recent comments / posts. The 5 most recent members posts from anywhere on the site over here -> on the right. Click on the blue link at the bottom of the brief intro to go straight to the article and scroll down to the comments.

Feature – RFDS Charity Auction

Young Western QLD farmer, author and Agmates member Jame McLean is teaming up with Agmates to launch his latest book and raise money for that wonderful cause the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Jame is auctioning a personally signed copy of his latest book ‘When Blood’s Enough’ on Agmates Trader with the entire proceeds going to the RFDS.

Updates: Click on the links below to read the latest and see the live bidding.

• 23rd June - Off to a Flying Start – Senator Fiona Nash throws support behind auction

• 19th June - Auction Launch with message from the Royal Flying Doctor Service
  

Agmates Editorial

Agmates Social Network – Kind of a Cow Facebook

Even though I said I wouldn’t I’ve released another major enhancement to to community site. Agmates Social Network. Its only in it’s test phase at the minute. Over 60 people registered by lunch time today (18 hours), from every state of Australia and one from the USA and one from Tonga.

There have been three groups set up (one of them by me). Anyway, have a look for yourself. Its really up to you the Agmates members.

Click on the image to read more …..

*****

Its Time To Support Our Food & Fibre Producers

If Australians don’t make a decision soon to actively support our food and fibre producers just like our manufacturing industries they will be be gone forever.  Free Trade is a cancer that is eating away at our food and fibre producers. Its time we acknowledged the Free Trade cancer. Once we acknowledge it exists we can treat it. Maybe we have left it to long? But we must try.

Click on the image to read more …..

*****

Isn’t It Ironic – Sad really.

So we have the NFF in Brisbane having a conference with school kids looking at how farmers might adapt to climate change and the governments CRPS, and we have the National Party in Canberra taking a stand for rural Australia saying No, No, No.

Isn’t that ironic? No – Moronic is a better way to describe it.

Click on photo of Agmates Editor Steve to read more and watch video ….

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Selected Community Member Articles

One Year Of Wheat Deregulation – Reaping What You Sow

NSW Senator and Deputy Senate Leader of the Nationals Fiona Nash writes: Tuesday June 23 marked the first anniversary of the end of the single desk wheat exporting marketing system and the first troubled year for growers under the new arrangements.

Approximately 30 disgruntled Wheat Growers and their families attended Parliament House in Canberra in a rally to register their protest on the anniversary of the axing of the single desk.

Click on the photo of Fiona to read more …..

*****

Bluegums – MIS, Greast Southern, Timbercorp & Australian Ag Part #2

Agmates member Roger Crook has an intimate knowledge of the industry from its origins in WA and writes:

Managed Investment Schemes changed the agricultural landscape and the face of rural communities. If there were questions and concerns about the schemes, the MIS promoters  tactic was to vilify and pour scorn on their detractors.

Click on photo of Roger to read more …..

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Emission Trading Scheme Not Just A Cap On Carbon

QLD farmer and Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition Viv Forbes writes: The bill will also levy a tax on whatever carbon dioxide is produced, and levy an excess production tax on anyone whose production exceeds the legal cap.

It is a carbon dioxide Cap-n-Tax Bill. This is a very serious proposal, with wide-ranging implications for all aspects of economic life and personal freedoms.

Click on the photo of Viv to read and try the Cap-N-Trade Maze …..

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Surviving When Debt Turns Bad Part #3

Agmate member St Botolph writes: Here is part 3 -
“How do I convince my bank to continue to support me?” in the 12 post series – Surviving When Debt Turns Bad.

Click on the image of St Botolph to read more …..

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Why This Farmer Loves Her Dogs

Submitted by Victorian farmer and Agmates member Jenny Bird:

8 photos of her dogs and why she loves them. Add your dog photos and story.

Click on photo of Jenny’s dog Jennie in action to read more …..

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Has Nathan Rees Got It Right With His Made In China Ban

Freelance Journalist and Agmates member John Mikkelsen writes: Are we becoming a Chinese satellite state by stealth? How many Australian jobs have been lost or put at risk because of cheap Asian imports flooding our markets?

The local products can’t compete as Australian manufacturers have to comply with more stringent controls and higher wages.

Click on image to read and watch video China Blue …..

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ETS Senate Debate Update – The more Australia sees the worse it looks

Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce writes from Parliament: All over Australia views on the ETS issue are changing as people understand that they face increased costs to consumables like power and food. This is the most crucial economic policy in recent time in Australia and it’s vital we keep the debate going.

If we get it wrong then the economic ramifications for Australia will be catastrophic.

Click on the photo of Senator Joyce to read more ….

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Why Some Men Have Dogs And Not Wives

Submitted by Agmates member Sue Manton.

14 reasons why some men have dogs not wives. This is really very funny and cute. Add your dog photo and reason why.

Click on the dogs image to read more …..

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If Australian Politicians Looked At New Antarctic Ice Data They’d See The Scam

Remember the frightening pictures (recycled from previous year) of the Wilkins Ice Shelf breaking away. Revealed today – ANTARCTIC ice shelves are showing no sign of climate change, six years of unique research have shown (See Photos).

We should support Senator’s Steve Fielding and Barnaby Joyce – and any other politician who believes that the current push for an ETS is a scam.

Click on Agmates member JeffT’s logo to read more ….

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Labor Jams Food Producers with New Award Process

Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss writes: Under Labor’s proposed Horticulture Industry Award, due to come into effect from January 1, growers will have to foot penalty rates of more than 200 percent for pickers and packers working outside usual hours.

This comes from new loadings and vastly higher overtime rates for Sundays, late at night or on public holidays.

Click on the photo of Warren to read more ….

*****

Sport

• NRL – League HQ All the NRL News

• AFL – All the AFL News

• Rugby – All the Super 14 News

.

Previous Community News Forums

To Browse all previous Community News Forums & articles Click HERE.

Rural News

.

Entertainment

This is Good, have a listen – YouTube mashup star Kutiman unveils ThruYOU

• Online Suduko & Crosswords

Even though I said I wouldn’t I’ve released another major enhancement to to community site.

Click on image to visit the Agmates Social Network.

Agmates Social Network. Its only in it’s test phase at the minute. Last night I sent an email to a few of our members asking them to have a look at it and see if they would like to try it out.

That email went out just before the start of the origin game so I didn’t expect much.

The response surprised me.

Over 60 people registered by lunch time today (18 hours), from every state of Australia and one from the USA and one from Tonga. There have been three groups set up (one of them by me).

I did say it is in its test phase. But already those that have registered (name and email address) have been saying good things about it.

Anyway, have a look for yourself. Its really up to the Agmates members. If you use it and like it I will  end up integrating it properly into the Agmates site. If not I won’t. You can see it by clicking on the image above or on the “Community” tab at the top of the site.

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END

Agmates Editor and Founder – Steve Truman.

Have Your Say!