Rudd goes bananas

Citizens Electoral Council of Australia

Media Release  20^th of March 2009
Craig Isherwood‚ National Secretary
PO Box 376‚ COBURG‚ VIC 3058
Phone: 03 9354 0544 Fax: 03 9354 0166
Email: cec@cecaust.com.au
Website: http://www.cecaust.com.au

Rudd goes bananas

Responding to the recent decision to allow banana imports from the Philippines, Citizens Electoral Council leader Craig Isherwood exclaimed, “Kevin Rudd has gone bananas!

“We are in a global economic collapse, Australia is facing a wave of unemployment, and our domestic banana industry is more than adequate to supply the Australian markets, yet the Rudd government is happy to wipe out banana growers and workers through imports—this is insane,” he said.

“Australia’s $350 million banana industry, which employs 5,000 people, will go the way of the pig industry and citrus industry, both of which were virtually annihilated by cheap imports.

“And, if you import the fruit you import the diseases—Australian agriculture will suffer long-term damage from these imports.”

Mr Isherwood accused Prime Minister Rudd of sacrificing Australian industry and jobs, to the global agenda being run by the British Government through the G-20, to stop nations from resorting to protectionism in the face of the global economic collapse.

“Rudd has demonstrated repeatedly—with car industry tariffs, clothing tariffs, and now banana imports—what he’s committed to, and it’s not Australia’s economic well-being, it’s British free trade.

“Free trade is a fraud,” Mr Isherwood continued. “The imports are cheap, only until the local producers are wiped out, and then we are at their mercy.

“We are in a global economic collapse, because free trade has bankrupted the world. Formerly great industrial economies like Australia have been turned into debt-laden consumer economies, and are now vulnerable and exposed to the global economic crisis.”

Mr Isherwood pointed to the plunge in Chinese exports, of 2 per cent in December, 17 per cent in January, and 26 per cent in February, which threatens the world’s supply of essential goods:

“The crazy thing is, we could and should be producing these things ourselves,” he pointed out.

Mr Isherwood called on the Australian Government to dump free trade, and instead support the international campaign by the American physical economist Lyndon LaRouche, for a New Bretton Woods system of
financial re-regulation, industry protection, and infrastructure
development.

Greg's Comment: 

Since Australia began signing Free Trade Agreements, I cannot see any benefit to Australia through these agreements.  All we ever see is encroachment on our own industries. 

The banana imports is a real danger because I reckon the imported bananas I have eaten in New Zealand tasted better than our Australian grown bananas.  If I am right, then the Australian population will demand imported bananas because they taste better ... and that would see the end of our industry.

To protect Australian industry, we need protectionism in the form of preventing imported products from being sold at a lower price than the Australian made alternative