Truckies' fuel protest clogs highway

Truckies want Commonwealth compensation for fuel and repair costs.

About 100 truck drivers are protesting against rising fuel and repair costs by driving slowly into south-west Sydney in a convoy, causing heavy traffic on the Hume Highway.

A slow-moving convoy of trucks has travelled north along the Hume Highway and the M5 motorway from the Sutton Forest service centre, south-west of the city, to the Crossroads at Casula at about 60 kilometres an hour.

Drivers travelling north from Wagga Wagga, Albury and Melbourne joined the go slow along the way, in the second protest to be staged by truckies this month.

Highway traffic is heavy between Narellan and Casula, in south-west Sydney.

Transport Workers Union spokesman Richard Olsen says unfair contracts have forced truck drivers to absorb a spike in fuel prices, while Coles and Woolworths pass on cost increases to customers.

Mr Olsen says the truckies are calling on the Federal Government to introduce legislation that would allow cost recovery from major retailers and compensate drivers for repair costs.

"A lot of these guys have not only mortgaged the house but everything else they own to keep the truck on the road," he said.

"We're still attempting to get a national determination to cover truck drivers, employees and owner drivers to get cost recovery and have safe sustainable rates within our industry for truck drivers to get paid for the work they do."

Dying river leaving mark on family budget

FAMILIES will suffer hip-pocket pain with the revelation food prices are heading only one way - up.

Following claims the nation's food bowl - the Murray-Darling Basin - is on life support, the prices of grocery items from bread and wine to milk and oranges will rise.

National Farmers' Federation chief executive Ben Fargher said scientific forecasts of less water and hotter temperatures were not good news for farmers - or consumers.

Combined with ongoing drought and water shortages, the high global demand for food and the increasing costs of fuel, fertilisers, chemicals and labour, Mr Fargher predicted price rises "across the board".

"It's hitting now, we're seeing upward pressure on prices now," he said.

Implementing an emissions trading scheme would also put upward pressure on prices, Mr Fargher said.

"We have two options. We can either somehow think that it's all doom and gloom, or we can support our farmers and give them tools to adapt, like new infrastructure, to be more water efficient."

Price increases are certain to hit the dairy industry as well as irrigated crops like rice, fruit and vegetables, nuts and legumes.

The days of cheap wine are almost certainly over while reduced grain production - which will be the case if enough rain doesn't fall in time for this year's winter crop - will result in higher bread prices.

Less grain also means less feed for the red meat and poultry sectors, resulting in more expensive chicken, beef and lamb.

Chief market analyst at Meat and Livestock Australia, Peter Weeks, said consumers were already seeing some retail price rises as a result of the high cost of grain.

"If climate change is here to stay then it has to mean higher meat prices because of higher grain prices around the world," he said.

Australian Citrus Growers chief executive Judith Damiani said irrigators were experiencing unprecedented conditions, with another year of low to zero water allocations.

"The consumer doesn't want to hear about more price rises," she said.

"But everyone has to face the fact Australian food will cost more."

Australian Dairy farmers President Allan Burgess said the price of milk was "more likely to go up than down.

Related:

Murray-Darling water forecast figures
The report says that by 2030 there could be 41 per cent less water available in the Murray-Darling. Water availability in the Murray-Darling could drop by almost half by 2030, according to a new report released by the Prime Minister.

Murray-Darling water forecast figures

The report says that by 2030 there could be 41 per cent less water available in the Murray-Darling.

Water availability in the Murray-Darling could drop by almost half by 2030, according to a new report released by the Prime Minister.

Kevin Rudd announced the findings of the CSIRO report at the Hume Dam near Albury Wodonga with Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.

The report says that by 2030 there could be 41 per cent less water available in the Murray-Darling and flows to the Lower Lakes near the mouth of the system could drop by almost 70 per cent.

Mr Rudd says inflows into the Murray are now only one sixth of the long-term average.

"We've been tracking worse than the CSIRO's mid point scenario out to 2030," he said.

"Taking in climate change factors what does that mean? The medium point of their projections is in fact better than it is today. In other words we have a real problem on our hands," he said.

Mr Rudd says reducing the pollution that causes climate change can help prevent the water situation from getting worse.

"We can't promise it's going to rain, but what you can do is have a credible long-term strategy on climate change hence the carbon pollution reduction scheme, a credible medium-term strategy when it comes to buying back entitlements and a credible immediate-term strategy which is about upping the efficiency in the way in which we use this precious resource," he said.

The Hume Dam is part of the Murray-Darling system and is now sitting at 17 per cent capacity.

The release of the CSIRO's figures comes ahead of the Government's launch on Wednesday of its green paper on climate change and an emissions trading scheme.

Senator Wong says the report shows that Australia must implement an emissions trading scheme.

"This shows us yet again how climate change is a present problem as well as a problem for future generations and that is why we now must act," she said.

The Murray-Darling Basin Commission's latest update on the basin, released last Thursday, showed June inflows were at a record low.

The state and territory governments signed an agreement with the Federal Government at the last COAG meeting on July 3 to form a new authority which would oversee a strategy for the maintenance of the basin.

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