Published by Helen on 25th April 2009
In Western Australia the Government’s plans to conduct trials on GM have been disallowed in the Upper House due to insufficient support being shown for non GM farmers. (23.04.09 Stock and Land, p 18)
Victory for the Network of Concerned farmers?
Not if the WA Minister for Agriculture Terry Redman has his way. He intends to sign an exemption order for the trials to go ahead! Just who is he representing?
And why conduct trials anyway? Surely not to prove that GM canola is better! Hasn’t that been “proved” in other state and countries? Would I dare suggest that it is just another strategy to gradually weaken and wear out people’s opposition to GM.
Just look at what is happening in Victoria where it has been announced this week that there will be no segregation of GM and non GM canola this year. Why? Only last year they said that concerned people had no worry about contamination because GM grains would be segregated from non GM. Now it seems that it doesn’t matter, thus exposing everyone who uses canola products to the effects, currently unknown, to GM. If you want a choice, bad luck and, by the way, they knew all along that it was impossible to stop GM canola from contaminating non GM farms. The quicker the better for all concerned who stand to gain from the technology.
This arrogant disregard of people’s wishes must be examined and everyone of us should write to our elected Government “representative” and ask why. Until the majority of politicians stand threatened to lose their seat there is no reason for them to challenge Party policy which is abundantly clear, does not represent us.
Published by Helen on 25th April 2009
The article in The Age “Thornley blasts power bosses over coal use” (p.2 by Adam Morton
25.04.09) is spot on. The Victorian Government led by John Brumby seems more interested in
jobs for the boys than jobs for the people. Brumby’s lack of leadership in applying rational,
logical thinking that would serve to create long term solutions is starkly evident once again.
Thornley claims that coal should not be burnt but rather have the carbon extracted and burn
the gas. This way we would not only have carbon to sell for $1200 a tonne to India and China to use in water purification, we would cut emisssions by two thirds, save the equivalent of 2
desalination plants worth of water and double the number of coalminers jobs. Presently we are
getting nothing for the carbon and at best a negative $30 when there is a carbon price and
“killing the planet”.
Seems like simple and obvious arithmetic to me. Just like it is not to provide water by building an energy guzzling, environmentally disastrous, shortlived desalination plant or a pipe from the Goulburn River to supply Melbourne. The latter is nowhere near finished and already been
declared a failure! On top of that, the ratepayers are being told that they will carry the burden of these Government projects. When will the Government serve the people instead of lining the pockets of yet another mate’s company?
What we need are leaders who have vision and the courage to plan for our future and
to not bow to the self serving needs of big business. A great leader creates a sound future for all and enrols the people in making it happen. It has nothing to do with protecting entrenched views from people trying to protect their jobs and their ego. Nor is it about taking easy options.
