Ministers accept 100km/h default speed as OK for rural road pedestrians – no questions asked
For a pedestrian sharing a default 100km/h speed limit rural road any driver error can lead to death or serious injury. Photo: Patrick Francis
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Draft Open Space Strategy inequitable for some shire residents
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Draft Open Space Strategy needs to widen its scope and include local roads outside town boundaries increasingly being used by residents for exercise and recreation.
Read MoreIdeas from 2012 Sheepvention
Great farm ideas at 2012 Hamilton Sheepvention By Patrick Francis Ewe and lamb mothering-up pen Enthusiastic Barooga NSW
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Government ignores pedestrians and cyclists in country road default speed limit probe
As peri-urban and regional town populations grow the increasing number of pedestrians and cyclists sharing default 100km/h roads outside built-up areas face serious injury and death unless Safe System Speeds are adopted by Federal, State and Territory transport departments.
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Insurance companies could be change agents for lowering escalating wildlife vehicle collisions
Wildlife vehicle collision road hotspots are identified with insurance company claims data but is not used by state Transport Departments to assist in setting appropriate maximum speed limits on rural roads to reduce vehicle occupant casualties and their enormous health care costs.
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Wiltipoll ewes excel through dry conditions -seasonal update September 2025
With 176% lambs born, Moffitts Farm Wiltipoll ewes have demonstrated their exceptional resilience through one of the driest years.
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Net zero livestock farming needs multiple strategies in place
Moffitts Farm’s multi-disciplinary approach to livestock genetics, pasture species, agroforestry and biolinks adopted and progressively fine tuned since 2000 to
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Will Commonwealth environment committee senators address the nation’s vehicle wildlife collisions explosion?
On 7 August 2025 all members of the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications were emailed a request to consider an inquiry into the adequacy of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Road Safety and Environment Protection policies, visions and regulations to cope with the biodiversity and human consequences of wildlife vehicle collisions.
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Wildlife road kills ignored in the Global Biodiversity Framework
In the seventh article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’ freelance journalist Patrick Francis examines wildlife
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Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050: Recommendations for reducing wildlife vehicle collisions
Figure: The jurisdiction black hole for wildlife vehicle collision between Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024 – 2030 and the Safe
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Wildlife road kills outside Environment departments’ jurisdiction to act, so ignored
In this sixth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’, freelance journalist Patrick Francis examines what
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Taking the blinkers off rural road safety – how wildlife vehicle collisions can be minimised
In the fifth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’ Patrick Francis explores existing initiatives which provide transport departments with an avenue for including wildlife in road crash risk assessment.
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Safe System Principles and Vision Zero 2050 fail equity test on shared rural roads
In the fourth article in his wildife road kills series Patrick Francis questions why Safe System principles ignore rural road pedestrians safety as well as wildlife vehicle collisions.
Read MoreConnection between wildlife and road casualties unrecognised in Vision Zero 2050
Patrick Francis interrogates the road crash statistics generated by numerous federal and state government departments for clues to why millions of wildlife become road kill each year.
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Driver behaviour dictates politicians’ attitudes to vehicle wildlife collisions
Patrick Francis reviews the published evidence behind the disconnect between Australian drivers attitude to maximum speed limits and the messages behind tens of thousands of wildlife warning signs installed across regional, rural and remote road networks.
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Signs signs everywhere wildlife signs and dead wildlife
Patrick Francis examines why there are tens of thousands of yellow wildlife warning signs along Australia’s rural and regional roads but no guidance to drivers from state transport and environment departments about what speed should be embraced to prevent vehicle wildlife collisions, vehicle occupant casualties and road kills.
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Surging global tourism CO2 emissions unstoppable
Implementing disincentives for tourists to travel overseas may be the only way developed countries can reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions and meet the net zero 2050 target.
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Soil carbon sequestration not a panacea for agriculture’s climate change mitigation
World Resources Institute challenges regenerative agriculture advocates claims about soil carbon as a major offset for agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
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Nature Repair Market: suggestions for avoiding unintended consequences
The Nature Repair Market is likely to become available to farmers across Australia in 2025 but its operator the Clean Energy Regulator needs to ensure its unintended consequences are recognised and managed.
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Warm winters are waking snakes early
By Damian Lettoof, Chris J Jolly, Timothy N.W. Jackson; For people in southeast Australia, springtime means soaking up the sun
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Shock cord collar trial starts
Shock cord looks a likely replacement for leather as sheep collars carrying each ewe’s easy to read management tag.
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Seasonal Update Autumn Winter 2024
Variable autumn winter rain opens opportunities for pasture renovation while wildlife road kills continue due to lack of interest in lowering the default 100km per hour speed limit through the Moffats lane wildlife hotspot.
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Financial institutions are driving red meat sustainability demands
Despite the red meat industry having a carbon neutral 2030 policy a study into meat processor attitudes found the sector does not see value in product-level greenhouse gas emissions credentialling for consumers.
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Uncertain permanence makes soil carbon credits risky
Adopting management to support and increase soil carbon on a continuous basis is vital for supporting a multitude of ecosystem functions but does not guarantee soil carbon increases are permanent.
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Air travel highlights climate change policies inconvenient truth
Flying is an example of greenhouse gas emissions activity that will not achieve net zero by 2050. It’s emissions are likely to increase over the next 20 years. Terrestial CO2 abatement is not a long-term solution as the farm land it takes place on is needed for food production and to support the planet’s ecosystem functions.
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Climate Emergency – a Plan versus an Action Plan
A comparison of two councils climate emergency plans one with emission reduction targets, the other without them.
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How a five year old clover herb pasture impacts lamb growth
Diversified clover herb ryegrass pastures need specific management to maintain composition, livestock performance and lower methane emissions.
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A climate emergency plan without targets is greenwashing
By Patrick Francis In October 2023 the Macedon Ranges Shire Council requested submissions about its Draft Climate Emergency Plan 2023
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Lambs, pastures, wildlife a 2023 spring bonanza
Winter spring 2023 has produced exciting results with wildlife, pastures and Wiltipoll flock performance.
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Council hears knock but door remains shut on pedestrian and wildlife safety
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council had an opportunity to give its residents an enlightened road safety plan to enhance living in a rural setting and interacting with nature. Instead its plan continues to prioritise driver convenience above public and wildlife safety on rural roads close to shire towns.
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Proliferation of soil carbon credit projects despite scientists urging caution
Emission Reduction Fund soil carbon projects are proliferating on Australian farms despite warnings from scientists they are not providing permanent carbon abatement.
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Romsey Structure Plan skittles environment, local food and lifestyle objectives – Why it should be returned to authors for further investigation
If re-written with a vision to embrace solutions to lower greenhouse gas emissions, abate carbon dioxide, use nature to address the Climate and Biodiversity emergencies, and encourage local food production, the Romsey Structure Plan would provide a blue print for sustainable development within town boundaries across the shire and give resident families the life styles they move to the shire to experience.
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Fertilise the system to build soil organic matter – SOM is more than carbon
A farming system in which inadequate nutrients limit crop/pasture productivity, microbial activity and maintenance of SOM clearly requires a paradigm shift.
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Irish multi species pastures lift livestock productivity
Evidence is mounting that multi-species pasture gives a lift to ruminant livestock productivity per hectare compared with monoculture pasture while at the same time increasing paddock ecosystem services and reducing methane emissions per kg of carcase weight.
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Wildlife rescue services provide clues to native animals threats
Wildlife rescues and road kills increasing as vehicle drivers maximum speed limit remains unaltered in wildlife hot spots.
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Draft community local laws ignore wildlife and people using minor rural roads
Draft Local Community Laws 2023 seem to ignore impacts to residents and visitors of inappropriate driver speed on minor rural roads, local light planes, and inadequate weed and feral animal control.
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Is regenerative agriculture a leap of faith?
The results of the Page Witts survey indicates that amongst farmers themselves what their methods are called means very little, it is the direction they are heading and outcomes achieved in conjunction with nature that is important.
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