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Another Slice of
the Cake to their Corporate Masters
The Australian public's attention has been drawn to a
small article in "The Land" newspaper that has not received much
mainstream-media publicity, but such an article is in no doubt
flagging Foreign owned multinational companies quietly easing
themselves into a position so as to control the Ethanol Industry in
this country, Australia!
The article gently heralded supposed plans lodged
with the NSW Govt for a $120 million Ethanol plant by a Foreign
Corporation called "Agri Energy Ltd." These plans include
plants for the southern Riverina at Oaklands, nth West of Albury ,
also Coleambally, Condobolin, Murtoa, & Swan Hill.
No responsible person, or organisation is against our
Country following the USA into full Ethanol production. I am
sure though, we are all against the multi-national corporations
controlling and/or owning this Industry, when, as with the US
Ethanol Coalition ACE, they themselves (the rural producer) can be
in full control of it in the form of a National coalition.
(Cooperative)
(The following statistics are from the recently
released 2007 U.S. Farm Bill & 2007 RFA Conference where it was
revealed the US Govt are subsidizing US Ethanol farmers to the tune
of US $1.6billion)
Whereas our farmers can not only grow the crops
needed for a mere 10% blend, but indeed as in the US, meet the needs
for 85%, when, as part of the coalition they extract the Ethanol on
their own farms. Just as their US counterparts do and who
currently enjoy a 13% return on their investments and who were in
2006, responsible for producing 5.5 billion gallons on their own .
There are another 78 plants under construction in the US -
steel in the ground, dirt being moved, welders welding. These plants
will add another 6 billion gallons of Ethanol capacity within 18
months - 3 billion gallons this year!
As these on farm industries grow, it is expanding
beyond the traditional grain belt, with plants also currently under
construction in Washington, Texas, New York and in Arizona. As
the industry has grown, so too has the industry's footprint on the
economy. In 2006, the ethanol industry:
Increased gross output by $41
billion?
Supported the creation of 163,000 jobs, including
20,000 in the manufacturing sector?
Put an additional $6.7
billion into the pockets of American consumers?
Added $2.7
billion in new tax revenue for the federal government and $2.2
billion for state and local treasuries.
From such numbers, it is clear the nation's (US)
investment in domestic renewable energy is paying off.
The U.S. ethanol industry used 1.8 billion bushels of
grain to produce 4.9 billion gallons of ethanol and 12 million
metric tons of distillers feed last year. The industry used 17% of
the corn crop and 26% of the sorghum crop, adding more than $4
billion to net farm income. Ethanol is today the single most
important value added market for farmers.
Patriotic Australian Rural Industry Leaders again
implore our farmers not to rush into contracts with these foreign
multi-national companies, but to indeed explore the US Coalition, or
Cooperative model, for themselves, one that installs them as a
National body in control of their own Ethanol Industry. Only they
can do this, as the Govt. will almost undoubtedly favor the
foreigners as they are want to do and will assuredly be rewarded for
their silence once it is another game over situation for the
Australian farmers.
From water, property rights, vegetation control,
feral pest eradication, environmental nazism to now ethanol, it is
time our farmers coalesced into an active, pro-active and if
necessary militant single cohesive group and stop letting the
bureaucrats rule. For this bureaucratic rule over yours and
your children's futures is a tunnel-visional railroad to
dominance and subservience whilst others keep the profits of your
sweat and the farming organisations acquiesce to higher
pressures.
Choose your industry leaders well, but provide them
with no autonomous power, none at all, other than that of your
collective desires. In other words they are your mouth-piece,
not your superiors deciding on your behalf without your collective
permission.
People's Review of Bushfires in Victoria since 2000
This was announced today by the Chairman of the People's Review, Mr. Ian
Hamilton.
Mr Hamilton said, "The People's Review is being organised by locally
affected groups, has the services of two eminent fire experts and will meet
with the public to hear their views.
"The Review Experts are Professor Peter Attiwill, and David Packham OAM.
Importantly these experts have offered their services pro bono. (The
personal profiles of the Review Experts are at the end of this statement)
"The People'' Review has been established by organisations including the
Australian Deer Association, Mountain Cattlemen's Association of Victoria,
Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria, and the Victorian Apiarists
Association. The Victorian Association of Forest Industries is highly likely
to be a member. Other groups and organisations are now being canvassed to
become participating organisations and to be part of the management of this
review."
Mr. Hamilton said, "The Group will welcome other participants onto the
Management Group. More groups within the community, especially those from
local government, the tourism industry and ecological lobby groups will be
invited to join as participating organisations."
Mr. Hamilton said the intention of the People's Review is:
To advance knowledge, and develop strategies that can avoid, or at least
lessen, similar fires in the future.
To gather people's stories on why more than 2,000,000 hectares have been
burnt in the last 4 years.
To capture people's history and experiences about actual situations so that
this can contribute to lessening the impact of fires in the future. To
capture these experiences before they are lost due to generational change.
To prepare recommendations for action within the Government and the
community that will lessen the extent and severity of bushfires.
To give the Review a high profile.
To conduct a rigorous and objective assessment that has impeccable integrity
and regard for the truth.
To review recent fires in terms of impacts on biodiversity and the
conservation of natural species and processes. This means it will be
necessary to comment on earlier fire regimes and human interventions, their
impacts on the environment, the preferred future environment and how this
might be achieved.
To conduct an inclusive review including both local and scientific
perspectives.
To simplify and set out the complex interactions that make up the fire
environment and capacities for human intervention.
To prepare recommendations that will be embraced as positive influences on
public land management policies.
To produce a succinct and accessible report.
It is already clear that the people support the People's Review and are now
actively donating money to support this process.
Mr. Hamilton said, "This Review is committed to hearing the views of local
affected people, many of whom have a great deal of experience in public land
management and fire. The Review will take on board and base recommendations
on widely and strongly held local views which are supported by scientific
scrutiny. On the other hand, if local views are found wanting, do not
provide Statewide solutions or are based on well-intentioned myths, the
Review will do its best to explain how some conventional wisdoms have
developed but are not supported scientifically and cannot be used in the
development of future fire and land management policy.
"The difference with this Review is the people with generations of
experience will have the opportunity to have their views assessed and
commented upon in an atmosphere where there is no overriding imperative to
defend policies of any government or bureaucracy.
"It is generally accepted that views within the government and the
bureaucracy have changed over recent years. Attitudes generally seem to be
more favourable towards more fuel reduction burning although there are still
concerns about how and when this should be undertaken. The Review will
acknowledge and support government policy where appropriate.
"On some issues the People's Review may have to highlight divergent views
and it may have to conclude there is no simple correct response to some
aspects.
"The People's Review is not about blame, mistrust or negative resentments.
The Review will be open, wide-ranging, frank and transparent. It will be run
by the people and for the people.
"The People's Review will visit local fire affected areas. It is envisaged
that the Review will be meeting local people at Heyfield, Bairnsdale, Swifts
Creek, Mt Beauty, Mansfield, Dunkeld and Anakie. As well as having public
meetings, the Review Experts will meet with representatives of local groups
and organisations."
Mr. Hamilton said, "A Parliamentary Inquiry into the fires has also been
announced. Apart from promoting the information and recommendations of the
People's Review in its own right, our material will be provided to any other
inquiries to assist in their deliberations.
"The Management Group of the People's Review will consist of one
representative of each participating organisation."
Background note:
Peter Attiwill is Principal Fellow in Botany & Senior Fellow, School of
Historical Studies, The University of Melbourne. He has been involved in
research in forest ecology for more than 40 years, and is Editor-in-Chief of
the international journal 'Forest Ecology and Management'. He has published
more than 100 papers in the scientific journals, and is co-editor of
'Ecology: An Australian Perspective' (Oxford University Press, 2nd edition,
2006).
David Packham, OAM, MAppSci, worked for 40 years in bushfire research with
CSIRO, Monash University and the Australian Emergency Management Institute.
He was responsible for fire-weather services in the Bureau of Meteorology.
His extensive research concentrated on the physics of bushfires, and he
applied this research to practical issues including the development of
aerial prescribed burning, non-evacuation of properties, modelling of fire
behaviour, and forensics. He consults extensively on survival of people
during bushfires, on fire risk and on coronial inquiries into deaths during
fire-fighting.
The Review will be chaired by Ian Hamilton. Ian is a retired lawyer and
chaired the Public Land Council of Victoria for about 10 years.
For further information, Tim Barker, 0419 35 43 93
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