On Wed, Oct 09, 2002 at 08:08:23AM +1000, Bill Stent wrote:
> Typical economist's suggestion - why doesn't the government take equity -
> partial ownership of farming land - in return for their drought relief
> handouts? This goes for all other bailouts to the private sector as well of
> course. Marginal farming land gained in this way could either be returned
> to productive use in better years or (better) retired, rehabilitated (maybe
> as part of the infamous work for the dole system) and covenanted.
I'm all for it but we already own much of the land - pastoral leases -
although we could similarly buy these out. In either case, government
buyouts will be very unpopular in rural Australia - witness Peter
Beattie's recent failed attempt to buy Cubbie Station.
The drought will continue the shift of agriculture from small operators
to large business which has been occuring over recent decades.
The Australian recently had a striking cover picture of a child on a
drought affected farm. Instead it should have had pictures of Janet
Holmes a Court and Kerry Packer. Large enterprises dominate agricultural
land use. This doesn't mean there aren't many small operators sufferring
in this drought - but they control only a fraction of the land.
Andrew Taylor
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
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