Joshua Becker

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Megan Hughes |Joshua Becker |Kate Forrester

The Australian Fashion Council has launched a national strategy to bring garment manufacturing back to Australia. Escalating trade tensions between China and the United States have highlighted Australia's supply chain vulnerability. Six consultation sessions will be held before a final report is delivered late this year. During Australian Fashion Week last week, models walked the runway clothed by home-grown designers, but while the designs were local, the outfits themselves were made overseas.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Isla Evans |Joshua Becker

Living alongside a state forest and a popular recreational hunting ground, Matt French is familiar with the sounds of guns. "When you're riding around or walking around, [and] you hear a bit of a crack," he said. "You wonder whether it is a bullet or whether it is a crack in a tree."But when his daughter discovered a bullet had shattered the windscreen of his parked truck, he started to fear for his family's safety.

Feb 7, 2025 | abc.net.au | Kim Honan |Lauren Bohane |Joshua Becker

As the world's deadliest bee pest continues its slow spread across Australia, beekeepers are seeking out chemical-free treatments. Beekeeper Jackie Morrison is looking for an alternative to miticide strips, a chemical treatment used in hives to kill varroa mite. She says her customers want products free of chemical residues. "They want to see clean, natural, pure, unadulterated honey and wax and that's exactly what we aim to keep producing," she said.

Feb 6, 2025 | abc.net.au | Lara Webster |Joshua Becker |Tim Fookes

Australian wool production is forecast to drop to its lowest level in 100 years. The Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee (AWPFC) has predicted a 12 per cent drop in production for the 2024–25 financial year to less than 280 million kilograms. Production has not been that low since 1920–21. The bleak forecast hasn't dampened the spirits of 23-year-old Miranda McGufficke, a fifth-generation wool grower on the Monaro.

Jan 23, 2025 | abc.net.au | Joshua Becker

Commercial fishermen in New South Wales say they are fighting a "war" against illegal fishing and are calling on the state government to provide an exit package for those keen to leave the industry. Abalone is a luxury seafood that about 22 active fishermen are licensed to harvest commercially in NSW. It is highly sought after in restaurants and export markets, but fishermen say the illegal trade threatens its sustainability.