Smoke and Mirrors
Inaction on climate change is already costing Australia’s farmers countless dollars, and urgent political action is needed to avoid more extreme droughts, fires and floods, according to a group of farmers who don’t agree with the statements of Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Senator Matt Canavan, former Party leader Barnaby Joyce and others in the National Party – who’s claim to relevance is representing the people in ‘regional Australia’.
Prime Minister Morrison recently announced an aspiration for Australia to be a nation that emits net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As we’ve pointed out before
Every state in Australia, as well as 73 nations, 398 cities, 786 businesses and 16 investors have indicated that while a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 is not easy, they intend to get there.
Morrison’s stated aspiration is similar to his pronouncements on Australia’s COVID19 response – stand up slightly after the real decision makers have worked out what to do, make a wishy-washy statement that has some relevance to the matter at hand and bask in the reflected glory of the successes of others. Even when the issue is solely a Federal issue such as quarantine for potentially infectious people coming into the country or the management of carbon emissions, Morrison is quick to abrogate responsibility to ‘the states’, ‘the market’ or ‘the regulator’ but quicker to claim responsibility when something implemented by others due to federal government inaction works as intended.
However, this time round, the ‘country bumpkins’ from the conservative rump of Morrison’s Coalition Government are upset. As David Crowe points out in the Nine Media newspaper titles, the ‘country bumpkins’ don’t believe the science and want to put one of their own, Barnaby Joyce, back into the leadership role of the National Party.
The ‘country bumpkins’ are building a straw man (something they might be good at if they really had any experience in their claimed constituency) by claiming the cost of a $30 carbon price on every tonne of burps and farts from the nation’s cow herd, then claimed this would cost farmers $70,000 each. As David Crowe goes on to point out – Morrison ruled out a carbon tax the previous day. The argument is a furphy, but watch the ‘country bumpkins’ claim that their hard work behind the scenes has saved regional Australia from an absolute catastrophe (and tearing down the straw man they constructed – the real point of the exercise). The Guardian recently presented an analysis on how the adults over the other side of the Tasman are managing a transition to a ‘net-zero’ emissions economy by 2050 – and it does include addressing every tonne of ‘burps and farts’ from cattle.
Fortunately a representative group of those who really understand and run successful businesses in regional Australia disagree with their alleged representatives – and demonstrate that they are not the ‘country bumpkins’ in this discussion
“In 2019, the last year of the drought, Australia imported wheat,” said Charlie Prell, a sheep and wind farmer from Crookwell and chair of Farmers for Climate Action.
“The potential impact of climate change on food security, not just pricing but the availability, is dramatic – the wheat fields [sic] are going through the floor.”
Mr Prell stressed he was “not a zealot” but a farmer who didn’t want to see his communities suffer the consequences of unmitigated climate change.
The National Farmers Federation also supports a target of ‘net-zero’ by 2050
The industry is making strong headway in reducing its emissions, with red meat expected to be carbon neutral by 2030, pork by 2025, and work underway for grains and dairy.
Mr Prell knows about this first hand – on his sheep farm he has wind turbines, which creates another revenue stream that’s not seasonal.
… and Ernst and Young have found that if nothing is done by 2070, the Australian economy will have a COVID19 sized hole each and every year.
Either a ‘net-zero’ by 2050 target is policy (despite the weasel wording) or it isn’t. Morrison has done nothing to convince any of us that the environmental statement was anything more than smoke and mirrors. He certainly hasn’t stood up to put the ‘country bumpkins’ back in their boxes, or to ensure everyone was on board before making the announcement.
If you want to argue the ‘country bumpkins’ aren’t in the same party as Morrison so he can’t control them, technically you have a point however federally the Liberal Party and the National Party have been joined at the hip for decades. What spin will Morrison and the ‘country bumpkins’ employ when the EU and possibly the USA decide to put a ‘cross border carbon tax’ on nations that are seen as environmental freeloaders – something that is far more likely than you might think.
What do you think?
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14 comments
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New England Cocky -
Michael Taylor -
Harry Lime -
Terence Mills -
Andrew J. Smith -
Gangstas Paradise -
Gangstas Paradise -
Phil Pryor -
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Andrew J. Smith -
Carina McNaughton -
Gangstas Paradise -
2353NM -
josephus
Return to home pageYawn….. Is 2353NM a card carrying member of the Nazional$ (not on the basis of the informed previous posts) or merely an Australian voter concerned with the incompetence of the Morriscum COALition misgovernment and the few 19th century policies being used to destroy the Australian economy for the benefit of foreign owned multinational corporations, especially mining corporations.
How many years of natural disasters do these inhabitants of the Canberra bubble require to understand that climate change is real, long standing and expensive?
Even with this impending cataclysm, there is one more important crisis in Australian agriculture and that is the current (or lack) of proper policy for water demand in the MDB.. There is evidence that broad acre farmers are over-pumping, that the number of NSW Compliance Officers is totally inadequate and the pumping meters can be rendered irrelevant.
This means that S MDB family farming enterprises are threatened by a future chronic water shortage caused by upstream greed rather than natural events, with a water market that will be exploited by foreign owned multinational mining corporations for dust suppression and CSG extraction rather than production of food & fibre, and by large scale corporate agriculture in high water demand crops like almonds that reasonably could be considered as unsuitable for the western districts climate.
Forget the numbers propaganda, like the $100 leg of lamb (Barnyard Joke) and the animal fart tax because there are canny agriculture producers installing alternative energy plants across Australia DESPITE the political preference oof the COALiiton for a 19th century future.
NEC, the latter. NM is a true lefty.
Numbnuts Morrison has grossly overestimated his ability to actually Do things,other than lie like a pig in shit and commit any sin necessary to cling to power.As a result of his non leadership, the pack of self interested swine that comprise his ‘Coalition’, are running their own agendas,despite the ‘team ‘bullshit that they spruik by rote.They are a collective corpse that are emitting a foul odour over the entire country,and no shuffling of deadbeats and dickheads is going to expunge the stench.The only possible solution is to have them buried in landfill at the earliest opportunity.
If you hate Australia,vote LNP.
I believe Morrison has said that he can’t sack Laming as laming is not a member of the Liberal Party and only the leader of the LNP, a separate entity, could sack Laming. But at the end of the day surely Laming would have to resign.
I don’t even know who the federal leader of the LNP is.
Obviously I haven’t been paying attention !
I see that Morrison has shuffled the deckchairs but he still has some three legged ‘stools’ lurking in the Cabinet room. Dutton has got Defence which he will probably want to re-title as Department of war and extreme belligerence.
So good to see that Michaelia Cash has been released from the naughty corner !
One would only pay more attention to the NFF for their science or evidenced based policies versus white Christian nationalism that denies climate science that most farmers acknowledge. The NP is masquerading as a political party whose role is PR/consulting for fossil fuels, mining and corporate agriculture, and essential to form the LNP coalition, under NewsCorp’s supervision.
For those working in, or doing the business of agriculture, especially small/family farms, they will pay for NP irresponsibility, incompetence and serving power.
Tim Fischer managed to keep the NP together after Joh for PM sideshow, but still many rusted on NP voters and members voted Democrat, at least in southern NSW and Vic. IMO the NP should not go anywhere near Joyce, in the current political media climate, but Darren Chester from Gippsland would be more competent and presentable, at least SE Australia, not sure about regional QLD……
Morrison reckons the electorate voted Laming to represent them but won’t boot him out of the party room because it would mean minority govt.
I have often wondered why Laming keeps getting reelected in a marginal seat due to his behaviour which once again is in the headlines.
So there will be no minority govt and no by-election and Australia has a govt held together by a person who should really be charged for photographing up skirting.
The most corrupt govt in my 70 odd years in Australia is only popular thanks to the money it keeps throwing at the electorate and the voters disdain to rock the boat with Covid-19 lapping at the edges.
NB : no puerile name calling that makes any Comment unreadable, just my opinion of current political events.
Andrew J. Smith
Chester would be good for both Australia & the NP.
Not often one can say anything nice about the Coalition.
Joyce has always been the bad apple in every barrel he’s ever been in.
When aunty from the country polished off the dregs of the sherry and no relief was available, It was vomit in the vase and bugger the roses. So with the liberals in NSW and Australia, it’s vomit and vases and no end to the stench, as the Backstabbing Bastard from Buggery Shire blathers, bullshits and bungles on, to our disgust, humiliation, impoverishment. The P M, Poxed Morrison.
“federally the Liberal Party and the National Party have been joined at the hip for decades”
Exactly, they are two cheeks of the same arse and that arse is part of the IPA body who tries to spread its DNA as far and wide as possible to stamp its control upon society!!
Maintain the rage and keep trying to eliminate this scourge on society as a whole and our community living standards as a base upon which to live a decent and fulfilling life among equals!!
Gangstas Paradise: Anecdotally have heard about Chester who has received compliments, unlike many LNP colleagues, for treating all his local constituents professionally and the same i.e. does not matter who you vote for. Former Liberal Senator Dr. Sharman Stone was similar in northern Victoria, especially taking an interest in the welfare and rights of refugees and immigrants, while Howard, Hanson, NewsCorp etc. were going dog whistle crazy with white Christian nationalist memes…..
However, as other comments suggest, catering to NewsCorp, IPA and variety of powerful sector interests or bodies, precludes ethical and professional practice as a LNP MP, for their own constituents, let alone mainstream Australia…..
There is a better way of reducing carbon in the environment, Regenerative farming. If you are interested read Call of the Reed Warbler. I think the author is Charles Massey an Australian farmer who found a better way of farming. The farmers federation is not only about fossil fuels and mining but encouraging the sale of chemicals and artificial fertilisers and using ag consultants to promote the big business of multinational ag companies.
Andrew J. Smith
No way would I be advising people to vote for the Nats due to their IPA etc policies.
Its like that game of “Pick up sticks” from my youth ….. pick out the Nats/Libs who are decent people and let the rest collapse on themselves.
NEC – From your two options, I’ll take Option B thanks.
If you believe that the messiah is due and that he will bring justice and perhaps other worldly bliss to humans then why bother worrying about earthly wars, mass starvation and epidemics – god is in charge.