It has taken two weeks but the Liberal Party in Western Australia has finally found a leader. The former Education Minister, Colin Barnett, will take the reins of a Party diminished and demoralised by defeat and division. But it wasn't plain sailing for Mr Barnett today. The levy is just one of the committee's recommendations. It also wants States to cede control of river catchments to a National Catchment Management Authority.
Most farmers spend their lives praying for rain.
But some farmers in South Australia could soon be Paying for it. The South Australian Government is considering a controversial new water licensing scheme. Forestry farmers in the State's south- east would effectively pay for rainwater needed to replenish an underground aquifer that irrigators use. While Australia's largest grocer reported a record profit against the odds today, another took another step down the path to destruction. Woolworths successfully bucked the downturn plaguing other retailers.