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Letters to the Editor
By John Niven
October 17, 2007
Dear Sir,
Albert Einstein said, "You cannot solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that caused the problem in the first place".
Early European settlers concluded Australia would be a paradise - ‘if only' it would rain.
Dams were built to harness floods; - "if only" the dams stayed full - we could irrigate millions of acres.
The above average rainfall in the 1950's regularly replenished reservoirs. ‘If only' it keeps raining, we could ignore historical data and over allocate irrigation licences, collect revenue and build enormous bureaucracies.
Since then, we have moved onto a Government who has decided to prostitute Australia with a ‘Free' - Trade Agreement with America. This has meant we now have competition with their subsidised agriculture, and in turn has decimated Australian agriculture to the tune of billions of dollars.
Worse still, is the destruction of our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which has taken fifty years to develop, in favour of a free for all for American Multinationals; - ‘if only' nobody gets sick or old, everything will be wonderful.
To further discriminate against 77% of farmers, the Government uses the other 23%, as a conduit to channel billions of dollars per annum disguised as ‘drought aid' to Money Lenders; - this is blatant Government sponsored Market Failure. ‘If only' the Federal budget remains in surplus, then money can be dished out to the advantage of Multinationals.
We have the establishment of undemocratic fiefdoms, such as Meat and Livestock Australia, which are able to collect millions of dollars, and then create fantasies such as the National Livestock Identification System and generally generates copious quantities of cowyard confetti. ‘If only' the fairies would turn up with higher commodity prices, the fiefdoms could claim some justification for their existence.
When an election is called, we have a patronizing Minister for Agriculture, who sprinkles a few million dollars over the Executive of the following organisations; - Qld Farmers Federation, Birchip Cropping Group, West Vic Dairy, Aust Farm Institute, National Farmers Federation, Dairy Australia, Rice Growers Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development, Pineapple Growers, Northern Territory Seafood Council, Irrigation Association of Australia, West Australian Meat Industry Authority, Australian Horse Industry Council, Australian Pork Ltd, Irrigated Cropping Forum, Northern Qld Dairy Development, National Association of Forest Industries, Avocadoes Australia L.T.D, Oil Mallee Association of W.A. It would be interesting to know if any of these funds have been, or will be, returned in disgust, - ‘if only'.
‘If only' the National Party Lemmings, can receive a vote before they reach the ocean, (these pathetic remnants of squattocracy,) and be returned to Government, stand up to the Liberal Party, abandon the FTA with America, and support rural Australia, rather than continue to treat rural Australia with total contempt - ‘if only'.
My little friend the Ooomanakkers bird from the North Pole is also a fan of Albert Einstein; - He explained to me that ‘if only' his Aunty had been born just a teeny little bit differently, - she would have been his Uncle.
John Niven
Hazelwood
Bimbi 2810
Ph 02 63471220