Drop by a mates place for a cuppa, have a cuppa at work, drop by the farm and have a cuppa we all say.

It's a truly Aussie thing, just like the barbie and pav.

As this years major fundraiser and through the winter months, the team behind Buy a Bale are asking, Would you donate the value of your daily, weekly or monthly cuppas to support rural Australia?

We've set up a specific campaign website, www.acuppaforthebush.com.au where you can make individual donations, register your workplace and create a team fundraising goal, even SMS your friends to invite them to donate a cuppa in value.

There are links to share, sms to send, bosses to let know your workplace is going to take part and more.

So next time you have a cuppa, after you wake in the morning, at work with morning tea or lunch, at a friends house or one just before bed, think about how the $4.50 average cost of a cuppa could help our Aussie Farmers.

Our farmers are fast facing a full blown return to the drought conditions of two years ago, feed is disappearing, farmers are beginning to hand feed their animals again and we're starting to get requests for food and basics assistance.

Help us reach our campaign target of $200,000 which is just 44,444 cuppas. Come on Australia, we drink that many before 9am in a single day.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible so this EOFY, make your cuppa count.

Have fun and enjoy the campaign and thanks for supporting our great Aussie farmers and rural communities.

Charles Alder

CEO

Rural Aid

GOVERNMENTS and businesses need to urgently train more people, and retrain existing workers.

a recent survey undertaken by the state’s peak business organisation, the NSW Business Chamber, has found employers are experiencing skills shortages equating to more than 54,000 jobs state-wide.

The NSW Business Chamber’s inaugural Workforce Skills Survey measures business attitudes on employment, education and training issues, and provides a comprehensive baseline to track future sentiment.

Connecting businesses with the skilled employees they need to grow is vital for the future of our economy.

Our inaugural Workforce Skills Survey was designed to gather detailed intelligence about employers’ pain points, where our training system is meeting their needs, and where it is failing.

Across the state, the record $70 billion infrastructure pipeline presents an unmissable opportunity to upskill the next generation, making it alarming that more than two thirds of construction businesses responding to our survey reported a shortfall in skills.

Here in the Murray-Riverina a number of key industries such as agriculture and construction are experiencing shortages, a major concern given the central role these sectors play in our regional economy.

At a time when high youth unemployment has reached crisis levels in some areas of NSW, it is also troubling to see indications of a mismatch between what employers expect from their staff and what our education system is currently producing.

While employers in Murray Riverina report high levels of skills shortages, on the other side we also have concerning levels of youth unemployment.

On the positive side, employers demonstrate a good level of confidence in “learn and earn” pathways.

Naomi Stuart

Regional manager Murray-Riverina

NSW Business Chamber