Warm and dry winter ahead. Sounds good? Not to our farmers.

The winter climate forecast for much of Australia is the same as it was for summer: warmer and drier than previous years.

There'll be fog and frost and moody sunsets. There just
won't be much rain and the snow will be on the thin side. 

While that might sound pleasant if you’re freezing your ears off at the moment, it’s horrible news for farmers caught in the drought that will not be broken by winter rains.

A map from the Bureau of Meteorology shows that the chance of rain for Queensland, NSW and Victoria – and half of South Australia and almost all of the Northern Territory (which is in its dry season anyway) – runs between 20 and 40 per cent.

The lowest forecasts – between 20 and 30 per cent chance of good rain – look to occur in Australia’s food bowl and grazing country.

Read the story from The New Daily by John Elder - “Warm and dry winter ahead. Sounds good? Not to our farmers.”

Australia extreme heatwave: 'code red' issued as Port Augusta hits 48.9C

Port Augusta in South Australia has reached 48.9C on Tuesday, as a heatwave sets in across much of Australia threatening more record hot days.

 Australia is having an extreme heatwave, with daytime
 maximum temperatures forecast to extend up to the
mid-40s in parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

All-time highest minimum temperatures have also been broken in three places. Meekatharra in Western Australia and Fowlers Gap and White Cliffs in New South Wales all registered an overnight minimum of 33C on Monday.

Severe to extreme heatwave conditions extending from the interior of WA across South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and NSW will bring maximum temperatures of 8C to 12C above average, and in some places up to 16C above average before the end of the week.

Read the story from The Guardian by Lisa Cox - “Australia extreme heatwave: 'code red' issued as Port Augusta hits 48.9C."

‘Big call': minister refuses to link drought to climate change on Q&A

The agriculture minister says linking the drought affecting much of Australia to man-made climate change is a “big call” and he does not “give a rats if it’s man-made or not”.

Fiona Simson, David Littleproud and Matt Sorenson on the
 Q&A panel. The agriculture minister was accused of sounding
 like his predecessor, Barnaby Joyce. 

David Littleproud made the comment on the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday, which was filmed in Lismore in the northern rivers region of New South Wales. His comment was booed by the audience.

The northern rivers region, like most of NSW, southern Queensland, South Australia, southern Western Australia and parts of Victoria, has been affected by severe drought.

Read the story by Call Wahlquist from The Guardian - “‘Big call': minister refuses to link drought to climate change on Q&A.”

(It saddens, and distresses me that our Agriculture Minister David Littleproud doesn’t “give a rats if it’s man-made or not” when asked whether or not man-made climate change was linked to the present drought or worsening the difficulties farmers in Queensland and New South Wales were experiencing. His attitude is thoroughly irresponsible and so he should should immediately divest himself of his responsibilities, maybe even step down from parliament - Robert McLean)