2012 I am a farmer and small business operator; as was my father and his father. My great grandfather captained his own brigantine, chasing cargoes around the world. Thus it is not surprising that I am a staunch supporter of the philosophy of free enterprise. I am also a student and admirer of Adam Smith and those other Scottish dons who created an intellectual hub of the Enlightenment in Edinburgh and Glasgow. These brave souls challenged the orthodoxies of the time, taking on the conservative ...
The Hon. Andrew Abstention
Video: https://youtu.be/UHaffArhC_s The Hon. Andrew Abstention, Minister for Energy, Mining and the Environment. Thank you for that kind introduction, Mr Speaker...I’m sorry, I mean Madam moderator. Mr. Speaker. I am afraid that I do not quite understand the honourable gentleman’s argument. Do away with economic growth? That makes no sense. How can you have an economy that doesn’t grow. We have to have economic growth or,...or....well I hate to think Mr Speaker... I mean ...
Celebrating Diversity
Whilst I agree with your basic sentiment, I cannot but feel that your argument is a little glib. My dear old Dad was much given to the aphorism, “everything is relative”. Compared to Japan, Britain has been ethnically diverse for millennia. The original tribal groupings were overlaid by successive waves of invaders, culminating in those new chums, the Normans. So, whilst the Scots and Welsh and Northern Irish have long celebrated their cultural differences to their English siblings ...
Dear Senator Abetz,
Thankyou for replying to my email. I very much appreciate your personal response, particularly as I am not one of your constituents. It is a courtesy I rarely encounter in my dealings with busy people. It is not surprising that I disagree with many of your observations. I would first take issue with your suggestion that my character is in some way impugned and my arguments concerning climate change compromised, by my suggestion that political parties are capable of cynicism in their ...
Submission to WMLR NRM Draft WAP 2010
To whom it may concern, Three years ago I wrote a submission to the first Draft WAP. Nothing of substance in the policy proposals has changed since that submission. None of the issues I raised in that document have been answered, or even addressed. From my perspective, the consultative process is a complete sham, as is usually the case in our wide brown polity. I understand that the extent to which the Board can change the policy foundations is limited, but suggest that there are some ...
The Market Economy’s Dirty Little Secret
Or how we learned to stop worrying and cook the books. ...
Firewood Facts
Even as we begin a new millennium, with our astounding rate of technological innovation, we still love the homely flicker of a wood fire to keep us warm. We share this with countless generations before us. As with most things the wood fire has its advantages and disadvantages. Some of these are canvassed below. The Benefits of wood fuelled heaters: Wood heaters are capable of providing very high heat outputs. Most wood heaters on the market today, if run at their maximum burn rate ...
Caring for Country with Farm Forestry
The environmental problems challenging most industrial economies concern the detritus of their industrial processes; i.e. pollution. Paradoxically, in Australia, one of the most urbanised societies in the world, the most serious environmental issues are those relating to non-urban land management. Pest plants, feral animals, inappropriate cultivation, and disruption of hydrological systems have wrought profound changes to our landscape. However, whilst acknowledging the oversimplification, ...
Digging a Little Deeper
I grow weary of feeling obliged to respond to the hysteria provoked by every proposed planning application for a globulus plantation. Am I the only member of the community that can see the benefits of such land use as well as the problems? I invite those of you who are not locked into a doctrinaire position, to consider the following: The economics of these plantations do not allow irrigation. They require a minimum of 600mls of rainfall and can intercept approximately 80-85% of runoff. ...
The Ugly Country
Donald Horne’s epithet, “The Lucky Country” may have been ironic and the campaign slogan, “The Clever Country” may have been political hubris, but that Australia is indeed the ugly country, there can be little doubt. From the necrotic sterility of outer suburbs, to the frenetic visual assault of arterial roads, where the harbingers of commerce demand homage to their jealous God; the automobile has moulded our built environment more convincingly than the people who designed both. Motor ...