While Abbott Isn’t The Yakka Skink, Greg Hunt May Be The Ornamental Snake!
Last week, as I pointed out, there are plenty of coal mines up for sale. So why is Adani so determined to build a new one?
On the face of it, we have one of those “silly” court decisions. A mine that’s going to create more jobs than we could possibly imagine is being held up over concern over a couple of animals.
As our illustrious leader put it:
“While it’s absolutely true that we want the highest environmental standards to apply to projects in Australia, and while it’s absolutely true that people have a right to go to court, this is a $21 billion investment, it will create 10,000 jobs in Queensland and elsewhere in our country.
“Let them go ahead for the workers of Australia and for the people of countries like India who right at the moment have no electricity.
“Imagine what it’s like to live in the modern world with no electricity.
“Australian resources can give them electricity and the interesting thing about Australian resources is that invariably they’re much better for the environment than the alternative.”
Now, leaving aside the fact that Adani itself have admitted that the figure of 10,000 jobs may have been what some people have called “slightly exaggerated” – which in business-speak is code for “outright lie” – and leaving aside the idea that way Mr Abbott has phrased his response it sounds like none of “the people of India” have electricity, it’s his use of the word “while” that I find most strange.
If you think about it, it suggests that somehow when a project is worth $21 billion these other things shouldn’t apply. Take these examples:
“While your leg is very important to you, unless you have it amputated, you’ll be dead within six months!”
“While I understand that you need the money, this bank doesn’t normally accept your dead mother’s false teeth as collateral no matter how much sentimental value they have.”
“While I understand that slavery is mentioned several times in the Bible, and while I understand that slaves have a lot less mortgage stress, the fact remains that it’s not really a strong justification for the Abbott government’s new workplace proposals.”
Of course, the strangest thing the statement from about our man with the plan is that last bit.
‘…the interesting thing about Australian resources is that invariably they’re much better for the environment than the alternative.”
See, we have good, clean Australian coal. Not like those noisy, dirty, unsightly wind farms or those filthy rays from the sun. Is anyone doing research into the danger of adding to skin cancer if we increase our solar energy output? I think there’s a four million grant to some university to take that one on. Australian resources – anyone who doesn’t support them is not only unpatriotic, but an environmental vandal.
And as for Greg Hunt, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could do less for their portfolio than Abbott does as Minister for Women, but our environmental minister certainly gives him a run for his money.
The sad, sad truth is that if Tony Abbott wasn’t Prime Minister he’d be the sort of man you don’t bother to argue with because it’s better to walk away and hope that he receives the treatment he needs before he falls on hard times.
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billshaw2013Bill Shaw -
Adrianne Haddow -
mars08 -
miriamenglish -
billshaw2013Bill Shaw -
mars08 -
Florence nee Fedup -
miriamenglish -
win jeavons -
miriamenglish -
Wally -
Bronte ALLAN
Return to home pageAbbott’s sly plan perhaps. Openly promoting new coal mines “for jobs” knowing that the likelihood of them actually getting off the ground is slender. The failure to decrease unemployment can then be laid at others feet.
Did Abbott actually mean 10,000 jobs for Australian miners or 10,000 jobs for Indian imported workers?
Funny, when I lived in India there seemed to be plenty of electricity, albeit never all day every day but that was 30 years ago.
Only the villages were off grid but then when you live in a thatched hut, scraping to get enough to eat and clean water to drink, and your ablutions are performed at the side of a river or railway line, electricity is probably not high on your list of priorities.
The industrialists however………
Does any govt authority ever follow us on the fanciful jobs numbers? Seems that companies can claim any number of NEW jobs will be created and nobody bothers to confirm it that ever came to pass.
I’d love to see a review /audit of employment in new projects… say, 3 years after commencement.
Perhaps corporations that pluck impossibly optimistic employment figures out of their, ummm, imagination should be held to them regardless, so that they absolutely MUST employ that number of people. That might make them a little less likely to succumb to lying bastard disease in the future. While there’s no downside to offering up pure fantasy they’ll continue to do it.
Of course I hope Adani crash and burn long before they get that chance.
I think we should run with your suggestion to make corporations keep their forecasted job numbers and extend this to government. For example Abbott’s statement on jobs in the SA ship building industry.
“…make corporations keep their forecasted job numbers and extend this to government…”
Might I suggest also specifying NEW and FULL TIME jobs. What’s the point of killing jobs in one region just to create them in another?
How much are we spending to allow this unnecessary mine, which will endanger the reef to go ahead? Will probably caused more damage to the tourist industry and jobs than what it brings in?
Florence, you bring up a very good point.
From what I’ve read, this mine won’t actually break even. It will be a money pit for taxpayers, though Adana stands to make piles of money out of it, which he kinda needs because (and I’m not 100% sure of my facts here) I have read that he is just about insolvent. It must be hard for a billionaire to owe so much that he is almost broke. The coal wouldn’t even help the poor people in India, as they don’t get the power lines. But India has already set in place a policy of closing out all overseas coal after just a couple of years, so this dirty great mine would do what? Be a big, expensive hole in the ground, paid for by us, so the money would get Adani out of debt and then we would be stuck with a useless mine, unable even to sell coal to India. At the same time we will have ruined habitats out in the Galilee Basin, possibly the great artesian water store, perhaps a large chunk of the reef and its attendant tourist trade.
It looks like a great big con to me. Why do politicians get sucked into these things? Is it that they lie so easily that in maintaining a blindness to their own lies it means they also can’t see through others’ bullshit? Or is it that the spin doctors, lobbyists, and under-the-table money are so good they are irresistible?
I think politicians get sucked in because they can’t see past their own advantage , i.e. power and privilege and perks. They get blindsided by failed economic theories and sycophantic media barons or conmen lobbyists. Around the world democracy has been sold out for a mess of pottage, which the rich get to eat at the rest’s expense.
You’re probably right, win jeavons.
Never forget though, that we are part of the 1% most wealthy and privileged people on the planet. Even I, living below the Australian poverty level an still part of the luckiest members of the human race. I know I won’t starve to death tomorrow, unlike 16 million people who die unnecessarily each year simply because they don’t have enough food. Our high standard of living rides on the backs of those exploited and ripped off in other parts of the world.
My point is that while we complain about the filthy rich 1% of Australians who are ripping us off and don’t care whether we sink or swim (and that is largely true, I have no doubt), we are also doing the same to others. It makes me wonder what those in poor countries think of us… especially when we imprison those who try to escape either death or privation to get to safety here. [sigh]
God! There is so much broken crap to fix. It all makes me feel quite helpless sometimes. 🙁
We can start by kicking this hopeless government out of office and making the next government understand that we expect much, much better from them.
“the people of countries like India who right at the moment have no electricity” I am sure poor people would prefer 3 square meals a day for their family than electricity.
And this stupid Rabbit is the “Minister for Science” (??). God help us!