Current News
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AGRICULTURAL employers have been granted new options by the Australian Taxation Office to move toward a single touch payroll system.
Although the 30 September deadline for small employers (19 or fewer employees) to move to single touch payroll (STP) has passed, the ATO wants to remind farmers – and all employers in the agriculture industry – that they have options.
STP is a new way of reporting tax and super information to the ATO, with employers sending their employees’ salaries and wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and super information electronically each time they pay their employees.
The ATO recognises that employers in this industry have unique challenges, different ways of working and managing payroll, particularly if they operate a small farm with 1-4 employees or have a fluctuating seasonal workforce.
To support their transition to STP, the ATO has released concessions for employers in the agriculture industry – outlined in an information guide available for download.
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On 4 October 2019, terms allowing an employer to unilaterally substitute a public holiday or substitute a public holiday with agreement from the majority of their staff will be removed from awards that contain them.
Instead, employers and individual employees can agree to substitute another day (or part-day) for a public holiday.
Public holiday entitlements will apply to the substituted day for any employees that agree. For any employees that don’t agree to the substitution, the original public holiday will attract public holiday entitlements.
You can read the Fair Work Commission’s decision for more information.
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To welcome in the upcoming 2019 Cherry Season Launch, the Victorian Cherry Association has updated the Victorian Cherry Trail Brochure. The brochure is now available in hard copy as well as a quick and easy to use interactive version. Thank you to all the participants. Find the interactive version available for download here.
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It is now easier for you to understand your workplace rights and responsibilities under the Horticulture Award and the Wine Award.
The new Horticulture Showcase includes resources and information to help workers and growers find information about pay and entitlements.
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The YV QFF Taskforce, Agribusiness Yarra Valley and Professor Michael Renton (Uni of W.A.) are mapping fruit fly risk in the Yarra Valley in preparation to determine the best sites to place fruit fly traps for our area wide management and prevention of QFF.
We acknowledge “QFF risk” comes from all fruit production (including domestic), and the people enabling fruit movement/sales. This is also being mapped as part of the risk assessment. Please note that commercial fruit production location information is dually useful to help determine new and improved QFF trap locations to best support the early warnings to Yarra Valley fruit growers.
This study will help form a guide as to where we need to place traps for early warning purposes. This information will only be seen by the QFF YV Regional Co-Ordinator, Agribusiness Yarra Valley, and Michael Renton’s research team – all in agreeance to privacy via contact.
We are now seeking permission from Growers in the Yarra Valley to pass on address details to the Yarra Valley QFF Co-Ordinator. If you do not wish for your address to be passed on, please email the VCA by 03 October 2019 to advise at
For Growers that are happy for the VCA to pass on their address, it would be greatly appreciated if you could please provide us with GPS co-ordinates. The VCA will provide this information.
Any further questions can be directed to:
Bronwyn Koll- Agribusiness Yarra Valley
Queensland Fruit Fly Regional Coordinator (Yarra Valley)
Join VCA: complete the Membership application form
and return it to: VCA Secretary, PO Box 612, Mooroopna, 3629
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