LaRouche: World must double food production

Citizens Electoral Council of Australia
Media Release 7th of May 2008

“We have gone from three meals a day to two. Then it will be one meal. Then we will die. Why is the world taking corn for fuel? It will mean the death of many people.”

This was the blunt statement made by Yoseph Yilak, the head of the Ethiopian grain traders association, to the visiting head of the UN's World Food Program. Questioned as to what should be done about the problem, Yilak shot back: “The best solution long-term is massive production of food.”

In the face of this unprecedented global crisis, which the Asian Development Bank estimates puts one billion Asians at risk of starvation, and a further billion people among the poor of Africa, South America and other countries, but for which the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organisation cannot even raise $10 million for seeds for poor countries, Schiller Institute Chairwoman Helga Zepp-LaRouche has issued a global call for action:

“HUMANITY IS IN MORTAL DANGER! Instead of Wars of Starvation, Let Us Double Food Production.” (Click here for statement)

Australia must respond to this call, through a massive expansion of food production in a country which could be one of the great food bowls of the world.

The Commonwealth Government must take two immediate measures:

• Halt its criminal policy of shutting down food production on fraudulent “environmental” grounds, including restoring water allocations to irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin, and ending tax breaks for the managed investment schemes which have diverted prime agricultural land into tree plantations.

• Embark on large-scale water infrastructure projects, such as the revised Bradfield Scheme in Queensland, the second stage of the Ord River Scheme in WA, and the Clarence River Scheme in NSW; the Clarence scheme and an extension of the Bradfield Scheme into the headwaters of the Warrego River will pour enormous volumes of extra water into Australia’s food bowl, the Murray-Darling Basin.

Brumby handballs roadside weeds to local councils, ratepayers

The Brumby Government has handballed responsibility for roadside weed control to Alpine, Benalla, Mansfield and Strathbogie councils, says Benalla MP Bill Sykes.

Murrindindi, Greater Shepparton and Wangaratta councils will also bear the burden of roadside weed control.

John Brumby’s farm strategy announced last week indicates the Labor Party is foisting yet another State Government responsibility onto local councils, Dr Sykes said.

Mr Brumby’s announcement of $20 million over four years to support ‘local government in their management of weeds and pests on roadsides’ is a clear indication that Mr Brumby is either ignorant of the real cost to councils of this onerous task, or he just doesn’t care.

“Our Premier has little grasp of the financial pressures facing councils like Strathbogie and Murrindindi if he thinks $5 million a year shared between 79 councils and the Department of Primary Industries constitutes realistic support for ‘management’ of weeds on local roadsides.

“At this stage we simply do not know what our local Councils will receive, but it is certain to not be enough and ratepayers will end up picking up the tab,” Dr Sykes said.

“These councils have thousands of kilometres of roadside to manage. At $100 to manage weeds on a kilometre of road, these councils require significant funding to accommodate this added burden.”

• Alpine Shire Council is responsible for 804km of road requiring $80,400 a year to manage roadside weeds
• Benalla Rural City is responsible for 1,340km of road requiring $134,000 each year to manage roadside weeds
• Greater Shepparton City Council is responsible for 2,491 km of road needing $249,100 annually to manage roadside weeds
• Mansfield Shire Council is responsible for 843km of road requiring $84,300 a year to manage roadside weeds
• Murrindindi Shire Council is responsible for 1,187km of roadside needing $118,700 per annum to manage roadside weeds
• Strathbogie Shire Council is responsible for 2,190km of road requiring $219,000 annually to manage roadside weeds
• Wangaratta Rural City Council is responsible for 1,941km of road requiring $194,100 a year to manage roadside weeds.

Sykes State Budget Shopping List for Benalla Electorate

Nationals MP for Benalla, Bill Sykes, is calling on the Brumby Government to commit, in this year’s budget, an equitable share of Victoria’s $100 million per day income to improve services and infrastructure in the Benalla Electorate.

Dr Sykes said, “My shopping list for the Benalla Electorate is neither sexy nor particularly costly but if delivered it would make life much better and more secure for local families and communities.

The shopping list –

Agriculture
• Support continuation of current Exceptional Circumstances (EC) declared areas;
• Extend Local Government rate rebates and water tank rebates;
• Extend On-Farm Productivity Grants and funding of full time drought coordinators to all EC declared council areas;
• Continue funding of outreach workers and mental health, financial management professional support staff;
• Reintroduce permanent wild dog and fox bounties to encourage integrated on-going fox and wild dog control.

Education
• Increase school maintenance budget to catch up maintenance backlog, especially at schools such as Mansfield Secondary College & Myrtleford Secondary College;
• Honour last year’s budget commitment to replace Tawonga Primary School’s portable classrooms with a permanent building;
• Provide capital to upgrade Myrtleford schools;
• Fast track the full integration of kindergartens into the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development;
• Ensure kindergarten teachers are paid the equivalent of similarly qualified primary school teachers and provide and fund administrative support for kindergarten committees.

Energy
Natural Gas - connect more regional towns to natural gas eg Myrtleford, Porepunkah, Bright Mansfield, Bonnie Doon and Alexandra.
Electricity – reinstate subsidies for rural electricity supplies to ensure affordability for country people.

General
• Replace inequitable Fire Service Levy on insurance premiums with a property based levy;
• Support reciprocity of State Seniors Cards.

Health
• Fully fund the cost of recent Nurses Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA);
• Fund the fast tracking of Aged Care facilities at Bright;
• Increase hospital annual operating funding to catch up on below average increases over the past few years, especially for Benalla Hospital;
• Actively recruit health professionals to country Victoria;
• Recruit and fund ambulance officers for Alexandra & District Ambulance Service and establish and staff an ambulance station at Nagambie;
• Fund construction and operation of respite care accommodation, especially in communities such as Mansfield in which the community has initiated moves to construct respite care accommodation.

Police/Emergency Services
Capital Works
• Fund building of facilities to co-locate Police, CFA & SES at Benalla, Euroa & Nagambie;
• Fund the new police station and accommodation at Mt Buller.
Operational
Fund sufficient staff to ensure full staffing of police stations and to address the current discrepancy between police numbers on the books and police numbers on the beat;

Public land management
• Significantly increase pest and weed control on public land especially at the public/private land interface;
• Increase fuel reduction burning; construct more permanent fire containment lines and permanent water storages.

Public Transport
Rail
• Fund upgrade of the 35 year old rolling stock and rail tracks on the Seymour Wodonga line.
• Include duplication of standard gauge.
• Properly maintain and upgrade all rail level crossings and fund timely, coordinated pest and weed control on railway reserves.

Taxis
• Increase the cap on the Multi Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) subsidy from $30 to $50 per trip and include lack of available public transport in the eligibility criteria for MPTP funding.

Roads
Increase funding in particular for
• Completion of the upgrade of Wangaratta-Whitfield Road;
• Placement of roundabouts in Benalla at the intersections of Witt Street/Old Sydney Road and Samaria Road/Kilfeera Road
• Upgrade of Creighton’s Creek Road, Shire of Strathbogie;
• Adequately fund weed control on all country road reserves.

Tourism
• Fast track and fund the infrastructure upgrade at Mt Buffalo to ensure recommencement of the Mt Buffalo Chalet operations;
• Implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Regional and Rural tourism.

Water
• Fast track securing of water supplies to Bright, Myrtleford and Mount Beauty;
• Fund business case assessment of enlarging Lake Buffalo & Lake William Hovell
• Abandon the North South Pipeline and fully fund the Food Bowl Modernisation Project;
• Ensure adequate compensation for water purchase from Broken Valley irrigators and commit to fully funding rehabilitation of Mokoan wetlands in the event that Lake Mokoan is partially or completely decommissioned.

Shopping list by town/area
Alexandra/Eildon – ambulance staff.
Benalla – co location of emergency services, roundabouts Witt Street/Old Sydney Road and Samaria Road/Kilfeera road; hospital funding.
Bright – secure water supply; fund fast tracking of aged care facilities.
Mt Buffalo – fund infrastructure for Mt Buffalo Chalet.
Mt Buller – police station/accommodation.
Euroa – co location of emergency services.
Mansfield – respite care; hospital funding; fund full time coordinator at Bonnie Doon Community Centre, maintenance of Secondary College.
Myrtleford – secure water supply; maintenance/upgrade of schools.
King Valley – complete upgrade of Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, increase capacity of Lake William Hovell.
Ovens Valley – increase capacity of Lake Buffalo, support transition of tobacco farmers and others in tobacco industry.
Nagambie – ambulance service.
Tawonga/Mount Beauty - Secure water supply; replace portable buildings at Tawonga Primary School and support transition of tobacco farmers and tobacco industry people/businesses.

Mirabella demands Rudd support farmers

Federal Liberal Member for Indi Sophie Mirabella has written to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd following a recent announcement that the Government has plans to re-evaluate the effectiveness of drought support to farmers and rural businesses towards the end of 2008.

The Exceptional Circumstances (EC) program, which is largely responsible for the allocation and distribution of drought assistance to farmers across the north-east, is due to expire in September and Prime Minister Rudd has indicated an examination will take place to reassess its effectiveness.

“There are many farmers throughout the north-east who continue to battle through the drought. To even contemplate taking this assistance away – under the guise of a review of the effectiveness of EC assistance – would be highly detrimental,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“It is an absolute disgrace that the Rudd Government is even considering downgrading support for farmers who have been so devastatingly affected by drought.”

“I have written to Prime Minister Rudd demanding answers as to what reasoning or rationale he has for questioning a service which has undoubtedly helped farmers through the worst of times,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“I urge Kevin Rudd to come and visit country Victoria for himself and meet local farmers who cannot put food on the table without EC assistance.”

“Just as I have lobbied previous government ministers in the past to extend the EC program, I will be doing all in my power to ensure drought assistance is renewed in September,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Farmers play a vital role in maintaining Australia’s ability to produce our own food and my fear is that without vital drought assistance for farmers to get them through the tough times, this may no longer be possible.”

“I, like many Australians, want to purchase Australian-made food, not imported fruit and vegies from China. We need to stick by our farmers and give them a helping hand through the tough times, so they are in a position to stand on their own feet when the drought breaks,” Mrs Mirabella concluded.

Murray Darling plan will hurt agriculture: Mirabella

Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella, has condemned the announcement made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Water Minister Penny Wong regarding Water and the Murray Darling Basin.

“The announcement that the government will spend $3.1 billion on water entitlement buybacks will cut agricultural production and lead to dramatic hikes in the cost of basic food items”

“Its all well and good for the Prime Minister and his water Minister to hop on their high horse and sprout nonsense to the cameras, but when the going gets tough the announcement made by the Minister today isn’t any new news” Mrs Mirabella said

“Minister Wong’s decision to buy $3.1 billion of water entitlements from so called “willing sellers” guarantees that communities currently living in the worst drought in living memory will go from a natural drought to a Rudd made drought” Mrs Mirabella said

“This is a short-sighted and irresponsible rebadging of the Coalition’s national plan for the Murray Darling Basin. By culling the funding for on-farm efficiency upgrades that was central to the Coalitions plan, the Rudd Government is jeopardising agricultural production and destroying out future food productivity capabilities,”

“In the Minister’s own supporting notes with her media release the Minister concludes that cities with over 50,000 people or more will benefit. But Labor has always been for some reason ideologically opposed to investing in rural communities and our farmers,” Mrs Mirabella said

“The Minister’s announcement also lacks substantial detail, so families across the country have the right to be very fearful that the Rudd Government won’t release the fine details, particularly regarding their plans when it comes to the Murray Darling Basin”

“The truth of the matter is Mr Rudd and Ms Wong are up to their elbows in secrecy and political spin, and issues like Water and the Murray Darling basin are too significant and too vital when it comes to our nation’s future, to have a government that isn’t taking the issue seriously”

“At a time when millions of people all over the world are starving we have a moral responsibility to increase food production, not decrease it,” Mrs Mirabella concluded

Citizenship test is important: Mirabella

Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella, has warned the Rudd Government against watering down the citizenship test.

In a recent announcement by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has appointed an independent committee to conduct a review of the Australian citizenship test, focusing on the operation of the test and the issues that surround it.

“The test that was introduced by the former Howard Government in October last year has a purpose of helping to educate potential citizens about Australia and who we are”

“Already 95% of applicants pass the test so how mickey mouse does Labor want the test to be?” Mrs Mirabella said

“I don’t believe there is anything unfair or unjust about asking those who wish to join the Australian famliy and call Australia home to know the background of our nation and be aware of our values and beliefs” Mrs Mirabella said

“The citizenship test is an important part of the process of including new citizens and giving them an understanding of our background and values”

“We must do all in our power to ensure Australia remains safe and proud of who we are as a nation and to assist new arrivals to integrate into Australian society. That can only begin with a basic understanding of the Australian community”

“I urge all citizens to make a contribution and prepare a submission to the review on the matter” Mrs Mirabella concluded

The committee began work on the review on the 28th of April and is due to report back to the Minsiter by mid year. Further information is available at

www.citizenshiptestreview.gov.au or by writing to the Citizenship Testing Review Committee, PO Box 1179, Belconnen ACT 2616.