Across the country farmers are bracing for another tough hit to our pockets as we scrounge around for enough money to pay the huge hike in water bills for agriculture purposes. Water equates for 3/4 of the total water used in Australia and yet we are the smallest percentage of water owners.

The decade long-millennium drought pushed most of us to our knees and opened old mental health wounds often ignored even by the strongest of farmers.

Australia has no water security. It's became a commodity all on its own. Big businesses and personalities fight for the celebrity status of owning water. Farmers have become the silent victims of bullying and harassment that has become the new norm in our society.

As of July we are in a 1 in 120-year super drought. Society does not understand the sheer fear that we encompass, the inner superman strength we all must have to turn a negative into some sought of positive.

We are tired of being blamed for events we cannot control when we are in fact the ones the hold this country together. As depression kicks in for farmers like myself, I must ask when will our politicians return water rights to the farmers? Where is our support? Without a Government water bill, our food security will die when our water dries up.

This Child Protection Week (1 - 7 September) Kids Helpline, a service of yourtown, is encouraging parents to start a conversation with young teens.

This is a good time to remind families to keep an eye on their children's mental wellbeing following the recent launch of the third season of controversial teenage series 13 Reasons Why.

In 2018, Kids Helpline enacted 1,825 Duty of Care interventions, which involved contacting emergency services or another agency to protect a young person who is experiencing or is at risk of imminent or significant harm. 38% of these interventions were related to a suicide attempt and 37% were related to child abuse.

Young people see Kids Helpline as a safe space and often disclose things such as child abuse or suicide-related issues to our counsellors. Often, these are things that children or young people have kept secret from family, friends or other trusted adults such as teachers.

Children can be groomed to keep unsafe secrets, particularly when there is a power imbalance or a secret that involves threats or bribes. Meanwhile, adolescents and older young people are far more likely to seek help from friends or peers, which often results in young people being torn between keeping a promise to a friend or being seen as untrustworthy, especially in regards to secrets where a friend or peer may be in danger in some way.

This means that for some young people being able to access free, private and confidential counselling via a helpline service is the only support they feel they can access.

Kids Helpline gives children and young people choices, support and someone to listen. It is Australia's only national 24/7 counselling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years - free call 1800 55 1800 or www.kidshelpline.com.au

IN the past 12 months, Victoria Police has received 11 reports of farm trespass. After animal activists invaded the Gippy Goat Café in Yarragon, court imposed fines totalled a measly $2.

This penalty is in stark contrast to the anguish Victorian farmers are facing with the continued threat of farm invasions.

Clearly the current penalties for farm trespass are inadequate when, by their own admission, activists willfully defy the law and continue to invade family farms.

The Victorian Parliament's Inquiry into the Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Victorian Agriculture has received almost 500 submissions from the public.

The next stage of the inquiry commenced this week with farmers and other stakeholders set to speak to the committee over six hearings across Victoria in the coming weeks. The VFF will have farmer representatives at every hearing to defend our members and their right to farm.

Victoria needs to strengthen penalties to deter farm trespass, including on-the-spot fines of at least $1000 and penalties of up to $220,000 for individuals and $400,000 for organisations.

Tougher laws are required because trespass on farm properties presents particular risks that do not exist in other workplaces such as risks to personal safety, the economy, biosecurity and public health.

Most importantly, farm trespass is akin to home invasion. Farms are not only a place of work, but are our farming families' homes.

We need real outcomes from this Inquiry to protect farmers and deter invaders. Thank you to everyone who made a submission to the Inquiry and the brave farmers that are speaking at the hearings.

Activists have shown their willingness to ruthlessly and repeatedly invade farms. It takes guts to speak out against these activists, and on behalf of all farmers, I am grateful for your courage.

- David Jochinke, VFF president

If ever a competition needed revamping it is the BFNL. It needs new competitive teams even if this is by way of merger with another major league with weaker clubs in a second division. To provide interest to the greater football public the BFNL needs to offer more than the hope of a interesting final series.

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