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News & Events
As we are already into the 2023 seeding season, I wanted to take a moment to wish all the farmers in Western Australia a successful season.
In other news, I am excited to announce that our three-part series covering the changes to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act is now available on our YouTube channel. As you may be aware, there have been some important changes to the laws surrounding Aboriginal Cultural Heritage in WA. I encourage you to watch these videos and stay up-to-date with the changes to the law. Our team is also available to answer any questions you may have on this topic.
Lastly, I want to remind everyone that our Legal Hot Desks are still happening, and we will be adding dates for the second half of the year soon. This is a great opportunity to speak with one of our lawyers face-to-face about any legal queries you may have.
Thank you for your continued support of Bailiwick Legal.
Thank you
Phil Brunner |
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Phil & Matilda's Facebook Lives
Each month Phil and Matilda take to Facebook live to discuss a current issue, such as Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, The Family Farm Exemption, Successful Succession Planning and Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Market Bill 2022. Check out their latest live on Facebook - Negotiating Access and Compensation Agreements.
Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Market Bill 2022: Facebook Live
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Aboriginal Culture Heritage 3 Part Series
Bailiwick Legal will be delivering a three-part video series on the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act.
Each video in the series will address one of the key changes in WA's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage laws.
The first will address the new four-tier activity approval process that landowners will need to undertake prior to carrying out any ground disturbance activities on their land, which may cause harm to Aboriginal Cultural Heritage.
The second video will address the Due Diligence Assessment (DDA) process for each activity tier, and then the third video will address the DDA requirements for consultation with Aboriginal parties and the new Local Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Services (LACHS).
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In March, Phil, Jess, Matilda, and Anna ventured to Wagin with WA Farmers for the 50th Wagin Woolorama. One of the biggest events on the WA agricultural calendar, the Woolorama welcomed back an eager crowd after a three-year Covid-caused hiatus.
The two-day event kicked off with a visit by Federal Opposition Leader, Hon Peter Dutton MP, who pledged to stand up for the live sheep exports industry in the face of the Albanese Government’s imminent plans to phase out the live sheep trade.
The event is always a favourite with Bailiwick Legal and the team loved getting back to network with the community of Wagin and its surrounds.
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TCWA Breakfast with the Minister
Phil, Danielle, and Matilda attended the Tourism Council of Western Australia's Breakfast with the current Minister for Tourism, the Honorable Roger Cook MLA.
The event was a great opportunity for the industry to celebrate those WA operators that won awards at the National Tourism Awards recently held in Queensland.
At the end of the breakfast the Council unveiled their newly established Member Portal and Tourism Toolkit which provides members with access to industry information, legal document templates, and economic estimators to assist them with their business. We look forward to seeing what is in store for the industry in 2023. |
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WAFarmers AGM
We attended and sponsored the WAFarmers Annual General Meeting which was held at the Mineral Resources Park in Lathlain.
There was a good turnout at the meeting, and it was great to see for the first time that the majority of the attendees were farmers. Some of the key topics raised at this meeting included livestock exports and the sustainability of farming practices in the context of climate change.
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We anticipate that these will continue to be topics of interest in the farming industry. With an increase in disease outbreaks in South-East Asian countries, the cost of cattle, and mounting concern over animal welfare, livestock exports from Australia have significantly decreased in recent times which has had a profound effect on farmers, especially in Western Australia.
As for sustainability, this continues to be a key focus point for Australia as we strive to achieve our greenhouse gas emission targets by 2030 and is a driving force for change to traditional industry practices which have contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. We are interested to see how these issues unfold in 2023 and the impact they will have on farmers.
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Carbon Farming Conference
Carbon farming is currently a hot topic amongst growers and other consultants in the agricultural industries.
On 8 March Matilda attended WA's first Carbon & Farming Conference hosted by the Carbon Farming Foundation and South West Timber Hub. The Conference kicked off with an opening address from the Honorable Murray Watt, minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and then presentations from industry experts and the 2022 Australian Farmer of the Year, Michael Taylor.
It was wonderful to hear about the developments in carbon farming globally and within Australia and discuss some of the potential solutions to reduce our carbon footprint and improve practices on farm.
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Facey Group Trials Review Wrap Up
On 23 March 2023 Phil and Matilda attended the Facey Group Trial Review night in Wickepin. The event attracted local growers and consultants who were eager to learn the results of the R&D trials the Facey Group undertook in the district in 2022.
The night also provided an opportunity for several local growers who attended a grower crop tour in South Australia and Victoria to share their experiences with frost damaged crops and some of the strategies that growers in South Australia and Victoria were using to combat the effects of frost.
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In The News
Phil spoke to the ABC about what farmers need to look out for when signing complex renewable energy contracts on farmland.
Key Points:
- Prospective renewable energy companies are signing WA farmers up to host wind turbines and electrical infrastructure
- Phil warns some complex contracts are unfavorable to landholders
- Renewable advocacy groups call for greater investment in the WA transmission network to provide clarity to the industry
Read the full article here.
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For those of you in the vicinity, Bailiwick Legal will be heading to Dalwallinu on 20 June and Wikepin on 28 June to deliver the first of a series of workshops on Succession Planning. Working with the Liebe Group and Facey Group, the workshops will run over the next 3 months and include topics on transfer of control, transfer of assets between family members, as well as how to successfully incorporate your succession planning with your estate planning. See below for details and join us as we share information on how to prepare for successful succession of your business and estate. |
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Legal Insight: Wind Farm Projects and the Paperwork – get (the right) advice!
Recently we have seen a significant increase in wind farm proponents exploring locations and seeking to lock farmers into land access agreements and long-term leases without any wind testing before they have a real buyer for the power.
The proponents will invariably offer landowners upfront payments, dangle large annual payments, and even larger rent payments to entice farmers to sign the access and Lease agreements, thus ensuring that they have access to the land should they go ahead with the wind farm project in the future.
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