Further expanding on my post The National Farmers Federation Revealed :

The office bearers of the NFF and the Commodity Councils are the delegates appointed by the the State Farming Organizations from the State Farming Organizations. ….. the office bearers are SFO delegates and the NFF is fully funded by the SFO’s.

So as a farmer if you are talking about the NFF you are actually talking about the SFO’s who “club” together as a “federation” to deal with issues that cross a single state border.

NFF Borad members – From the NFF web site:

The NFF Board comprises the NFF President and NFF Vice-President, along with five Directors, all elected by the Members’ Council. Two independent Directors may be appointed by the Board, as required

David Crombie President June 2006 to Current

2001 – Current Deputy Chairman Listed Property development Group FKP

2007 – Current – Director of the Australian Government Board of Export Finance Insurance Corporation

Current – Commissioner of Australian Government  Centre for International Agriculture Research

Current – President of the Queensland Rugby Union.

2000 – current Director GRM International (Packers Consolidated Group)

1998 – 2005 Chairman of Meat & Livestock Australia

1995 – 2000 Board member of Grainco

1994 – 2000 Managing Director of GRM (Consolidated Group)

Mr Crombie operates family properties, breeding and finishing cattle, as well as growing crops in southern Queensland.

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Charles Burke Vice-President June 2004 to Current

Current – Vice-President and Treasurer of AgForce Queensland

Current – Chairs the AgForce Rural Business Committee.

Mr Burke manages a family cattle property ‘Stanley House’, situated on Lake Somerset in the Brisbane Valley, South East Queensland.

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Bill Bray Director

2004 – 2008 President of the Cattle Council of Australia

Involved with the Victorian Farmers Federation for the past 25 years.

Mr Bray runs a mixed beef and sheep property in the Gippsland region

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Nick Keatinge Director

Nick has been involved with the NSW Farmers Association for 30 years.

Last year he was awarded the NSW Farmers’Association Medal of Honour for his long standing commitment to the ideals of the Association.

Nick, is a beef, lamb and wool producer on the South West Slopes of NSW.

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Andrew Broad President Victorian Farmers’ Federation

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Alf Cristaudo Chairman Canegrowers

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John Cotter President AgForce Queensland

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Charles Armstrong President NSW Farmers Association

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Members’ Council -

from the NFF’s web site

The Members’ Council is the supreme consultative forum for the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF).

Made up of all 16 state farming organisation and commodity council members, as well as Associate Members, of the NFF, members are appointed by their respective organisations.

The Members’ Council elects the Directors and officeholders (President and Vice-President) from nominations received from members, and determines:

* the key priorities for the NFF’s Strategic Plan;

* determines policy on issues or positions that are outside of the guidance previously agreed

Members council Represenatives

David Crombie – President, National Farmers’ Federation

Charles Burke – Vice-President, National Farmers’ Federation

Nick Keatinge – Director, National Farmers’ Federation

Bill Bray – Director, National Farmers’ Federation

John Cotter – President, AgForce Queensland

Wes Judd – President, Australian Dairy Farmers

Mark King – President, Australian Dried Fruits Association

Ian McIvor – Chair, Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council

Alf Cristaudo – Chair, Canegrowers

Greg Brown – President, Cattle Council of Australia

John McKillop – Representative, Corporate Agricultural Group

Joanne Grainger – Chair, Cotton Australia

Roy Chisholm – President, Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association

Charles Armstrong – President, NSW Farmers’ Association

Les Gordon – President, Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia

Kate Joseph – President, Sheepmeat Council of Australia

David Gatenby – President, Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association

Andrew Broad – President, Victorian Farmers Federation

Mike Norton – President, Western Australian Farmers Federation

Don Hamblin – President, WoolProducers

Many farmers believe the NFF to be a separate organization of which their State Farming Organization ( SFO’s) is a member. Indeed this is a misconception that the NFF and SFO’s and the Commodity Councils foster amongst farmers.

To be accurate it should be call the National Farming Organizations Federation or NFOF.

END

Have Your Say.

A report from yesterdays Sydney Morning Herald says that the new legislation banning tree clearing on Prime Agricultural land in QLD will be in place before the moratorium ends on October 7th.

“The ban will end on October 7, but new legislation will be in place by then to outlaw all clearing in specific areas relating mainly to the Mackay/Whitsunday, Wet Tropics and Burdekin reef catchments.”

Peak farming group AgForce has completely capitulated to the Government:

“Agforce president John Cotter was cautious in welcoming the legislation.

“If people want to invest in this country, they need to be clear and certain with legislation, and the seventh of October cannot come soon enough,” he told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday.”

So now the best AgForce can offer its members is bring on the 7th of October so at least we know how bad the new laws are. And when AgForce does know – Cotter says

“We will not stand by and see producers lose production and viability at the cost of some un-useful (sic) scheme that doesn’t bring out better environmental outcomes.

“Our intention is, it does not go onto productive land.”

Cotter says AgForce will not stand by and see producers lose production and viability – That is an incredible statement. They have stood by and watched the whole issue from before the State Election right up to when it becomes law.

Back on the 8th of April I wrote this post:

The Regrowth Uprising?

My email has been running hot with torrents of outrage at the QLD governments announcement of a 3 month moratorium on clearing of regrowth that came into effect at midnight last night.

Interesting that the most vigorous outrage expressed has been from the leaders of the State Farming Organizations (SFO’s).

My question is why?

They knew it was coming if Anna Bligh won the election on March 24th, but chose to remain silent on behalf to the very same farmers they are now trying to rally to the cause.

Not only did I predict exactly this outcome, I pointed out not only the political intrigue behind it, who was responsible (WWF) and how our state farming bodies sat back and let it happen. Here is the efforts we made to try and spur the SFO’s and farmers into action … while it still counted for something.

Click through to read the articles I had written which chronicle Cotter and AgForces bungling and inaction during this whole sorry affair:

• 9th March - If Labor wins QLD election on Green Vote – Clearing regrowth will end. from that article …Mark my words – WWF has made its position clear, if Anna Bligh’s Labor government is returned, the Green’s will be holding them to account. ……. WWF will still take Premier Anna Bligh – if re-elected to task over the clearing of regrowth. Hold your breath Australia ……. and pray.

• 9th March - John Cotter & AgForce high Stakes Gamble on QLD election. In This article AgForce President states their plan of action … “It would be easy for us to talk about a whole range of issues that you understand and would like to hear us talking about on your behalf such as vegetation management …. However, we trust you understand that (we won’t be)…I wrote As the peak farmer organization AgForce and John Cotter are taking an enormous gamble with the livelihoods of thousands of rural Queenslander’s with this insane policy of ignoring it’s members issues and views.

• 11th March - Greens expose AgForce as Amateurs in State politics game. In that article I wrote … We’ll look back and say John Cotter and AgForced took a massive punt. If Labor gets up, AgForce will have given away farmers ability to control regrowth without a squeak – Why would any farmer want to belong to a farm body that did that?

Then – due to a total lack of interest I published:

• 12th March - OK I’ll stop flogging the AgForce V’s Greens banning Regrowth Treatment Dead Horse … from that article … If Labor get up on March 21, they will ban the treating of regrowth. Watch the howls of protest come from AgForce and QLD farmers then. All I say is – you were warned, but you chose to remain silent, when it mattered.

Then the announcement was made by Bligh that she was taking this as policy to the election:

• 17th March - As Predicted AgForce got it wrong – now QLD farmers must pay the price…. from that article … Agmates and indeed your own members were demanding that AgForce ‘get on the front foot’ on this issue at the start of the campaign, but your President John Cotter and your executive decided that ‘keeping mum’ on the issue during the campaign was the ‘best’ approach. Well Andrew, disastrously you were wrong and look at the price your members and Queensland farmers will now pay.

• 17th March - Who was fighting the Greens as they stole the rights to clear regrowth? .. from that article … Or maybe it’s that they have known all along that the LNP will win the election this Saturday and the Tree Clearing Laws will remain unchanged. If the LNP does win, I will bow to AgForce, QFF, PRA and ABA’s superior knowledge and wisdom.In fact I will gladly apologize to them all publicly here on Agmates for questioning their deliberate strategy of complete inaction on this issue.

The whole tree clearing issue of the last 6 months shows how completely inept the AgForce organization is. QLD farmer members should resign their membership of the organization – en mass. The organization that farmers pay to represent them is either completely inept or completely corrupted by government funding or both and is actually aiding and abetting the Labor government in destroying the states farming industry.

END
Have Your say!

First Published here.

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My email has been running hot with torrents of outrage at the QLD governments announcement of a 3 month moratorium on clearing of regrowth that came into effect at midnight last night.

Interesting that the most vigorous outrage expressed has been from the leaders of the State Farming Organizations (SFO’s).

My question is why?

They knew it was coming if Anna Bligh won the election on March 24th, but chose the remain silent on behalf to the very same farmers they are now trying to rally to the cause.

Not only did I predict exactly this outcome, I pointed out not only the political intrigue behind it, who is responsible (WWF) and how our state farming bodies sat back and let it happen.  Here is the efforts we made to try and spur the SFO’s and farmers into action … while it still counted for something.

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• 9th March - If Labor wins QLD election on Green Vote – Clearing regrowth will end. from that article …Mark my words – WWF has made its position clear, if Anna Bligh’s Labor government is returned, the Green’s will be holding them to account. ……. WWF will still take Premier Anna Bligh – if re-elected to task over the clearing of regrowth. Hold your breath Australia ……. and pray.

• 9th March – John Cotter & AgForce high Stakes Gamble on QLD election. In This article AgForce President states their plan of action … “It would be easy for us to talk about a whole range of issues that you understand and would like to hear us talking about on your behalf such as vegetation management …. However, we trust you understand that (we won’t be)…I wrote As the peak farmer organization AgForce and John Cotter are taking an enormous gamble with the livelihoods of thousands of rural Queenslander’s with this insane policy of ignoring it’s members issues and views.

• 11th March – Greens expose AgForce as Amateurs in State politics game. In that article I wrote … We’ll look back and say John Cotter and AgForced took a massive punt. If Labor gets up, AgForce will have given away farmers ability to control regrowth without a squeak – Why would any farmer want to belong to a farm body that did that?

Then – due to a total lack of interest I published:

• 12th March – OK I’ll stop flogging the AgForce V’s Greens banning Regrowth Treatment Dead Horse … from that article … If Labor get up on March 21, they will ban the treating of regrowth. Watch the howls of protest come from AgForce and QLD farmers then. All I say is – you were warned, but you chose to remain silent, when it mattered.

Then the announcement was made by Bligh that she was taking this as policy to the election:

• 17th March – As Predicted AgForce got it wrong – now QLD farmers must pay the price…. from that article … Agmates and indeed your own members were demanding that AgForce ‘get on the front foot’ on this issue at the start of the campaign, but your President John Cotter and your executive decided that ‘keeping mum’ on the issue during the campaign was the ‘best’ approach. Well Andrew, disastrously you were wrong and look at the price your members and Queensland farmers will now pay.

• 17th March – Who was fighting the Greens as they stole the rights to clear regrowth? .. from that article … Or maybe it’s that they have known all along that the LNP will win the election this Saturday and the Tree Clearing Laws will remain unchanged. If the LNP does win, I will bow to AgForce, QFF, PRA and ABA’s superior knowledge and wisdom.In fact I will gladly apologize to them all publicly here on Agmates for questioning their deliberate strategy of complete inaction on this issue.

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This outcome is a blight on  – AgForce, Queensland Farmers Federation, Property Rights Australia and Australian Beef Association – not one of them did a thing to fight this, while they still had a chance to influence the outcome.

Now when its happened, these organizations are wanting to rally their members into ‘a regrowth uprising’.  The challenge is that any protest or radical action now will just see farmers portrayed by the media as ‘red necks’ or ‘environmental vandals’.

It would be far more productive for farmers to turn the anger and focus onto these farm organizations that have once again let them down so badly. These organizations should be completely disbanded and started again from scratch with a whole new structure and strategy. Rather than a regrowth uprising against the government it should be a membership uprising against the SFO’s.

It suits the leaders of these organizations to stir up farmers and focus their frustration away from their inept performance. It however is a waste of farmers time and energy – Its a done deal – was the night Anna Bligh won the election. Bligh is not going to budge – the Green vote helped her win her historic election – not the farmer & Indigenous vote – She has a debt & it’s now time for here to ‘pay the piper’ being WWF and their political arm The QLD Greens.

But hey … what would I know?

Agmates Founder
Steve Truman

END

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Have Your say!

AgForce Cattle President Grant Muadsley in a Media Release 24th March (Not available on their site)

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One of the bright spots in the Queensland’s economy – agriculture – is under threat from proposed changes to regrowth management, and the beef supply chain will pay the price.

The beef industry alone contributes $3.4 billion to the Queensland economy and supports many thousands of meat processing jobs in urban areas such as Dinmore and Beenleigh.

The ongoing strength of the industry is based on innovation by beef producers and world-leading resource management and grazing practices.

There is huge concern in the bush about the impact of Labor election commitments including a proposed three-month moratorium and new restrictions on regrowth clearing, the introduction of three more Wild Rivers, and new regulations over reef run-off.

Premier Bligh gave AgForce a commitment that there would be negotiations with farmers before any changes are made to vegetation management laws and we look forward to meeting with the Premier and newly named Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson to present the facts about sustainable beef production.

We will not take a step backwards. AgForce Cattle will not accept a single hectare of well-managed productive land being unnecessarily removed from production.

The proposed three-month moratorium on regrowth clearing will present massive issues for all landholders currently operating under vegetation management principles.

AgForce Cattle believes a complete ban on clearing for a period of time will be unable to be implemented and will create ongoing land management issues regardless of the outcomes from negotiations with government.

Landholders understand the Vegetation Management Act and have undertaken the associated PMAV (property maps of assessable vegetation) after earlier Queensland Government vegetation management laws were implemented to protect remnant vegetation while landholders retained control over regrowth.

We have willingly participated in PMAV development and made big steps in our management to ensure we are compliant with that legislation.

Premier Anna Bligh will not be granting any favours for producers on this issue and for landholders to win this debate we have to rely on the facts of production and the real commitment of graziers to good environmental outcomes on the reef and elsewhere which must be recognised.

Rural industries must be given the chance to show that producers are meeting the existing laws before any new legislation is considered.

Removing nearly two-thirds of the productive landscape of Queensland – or 21 million hectares as proposed pre-election by an extreme green World Wildlife Fund spokesman – would have massive impacts on the economy.

AgForce is seeking a meeting with Minister Robertson at the earliest opportunity to put the case that primary producers have already made a significant contribution to conservation and Australia’s carbon credits by sustainable management of actively growing pastures.

If the Premier is to genuinely fill her election commitment to govern for all Queenslanders then she should ensure that the beef industry has the right policy settings and resources to produce sound, safe and healthy food – and jobs – for the people of this state.

AgForce policy on regrowth is concrete and immovable – AgForce opposes any changes to current exemptions which apply for regrowth and fodder harvesting.

END

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Have Your Say!

It is interesting to see the spin coming out of AgForce as it tries to salvage some credibility after its disasrous QLD state election strategy .

The headline in Rural Press is: 

Differences aside, AgForce to cooperate with Bligh

As usual the article is just a reprint of an AgForce press release from the groups president John Cotter [pictured].

Bligh acknowledges strength of regional Queensland

In that release John Cotter says:

“Regional Queensland received special mention in re-elected Premier Anna Bligh’s acceptance speech at the weekend, reinforcing the need to keep rural and regional issues high on the agenda of the new government.”

Now I’d listened to Anna Bligh’s acceptance speech and Cotters claim is rubbish. Here is a link to the audio. Have a listen for yourself.

The speech is 9min and 54 seconds long and in that Anna Bligh talks about regional QLD for 24 seconds. What Anna Bligh was doing in that 24 seconds was thanking those people in Regional QLD that voted Labor – here is what she said:

“To those that voted Labor today I thank you for your support ….

I want tonight to particularly acknowledge the support of regional QLD.

When I became Premier I said I wanted to be a Premier for the whole of the state, and A Premier that recognizes the strenghts of QLD & its Regions.

And I thank them for putting their faith in me tonight.

I’ve done my best as Premier to look after the Regions of QLD. And I give them this commitment tonight – I will keep doing just that.”

Firstly Bligh was directing her thanks to those that voted Labor in the Regions. Secondly at no time does Anna Bligh during the speech mention rural QLD.

John Cotter and AgForce have isolated themselves and the farmers of QLD from the new Labor government through their flawed election strategy.

Were they so arrogantly confident of an NLP win that they thought all they had to do was sit back and wait for the glorious victory. Is that really why they chose not to engage the people of QLD on the vital issues of regrowth management, reef regulation and the encroachment of mining on Agricultural land.

Mind you not one of the other three farmers organizations lifted a finger to champion the states farmers cause.

What a disgraceful situation. No wonder farming in this state is under constant threat from politically active minority self interest groups.

QLD farmer representation is so poor and incompetent that it is worse that having none. The states farmers will for another 3 years pay the price of this breathtaking incompetence.

END

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Have Your Say!

I have just given AgForce a ‘flogging’ for meekly allowing the Greens to coerce the Labor government into banning the clearing of regrowth.

Let me tell you that the other QLD farmer organizations are no better. Lets go through them:

Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF), QLD’s 2nd largest farmer lobby group.

Here is a link to QFF’s one and only press release during the QLD election campaign (at least they had one).

The QFF election policy statement is  a 26 page document of the critical issues that are impacting on Queensland farmers. I’d post their statement on the regrowth issue here, but there isn’t one. That’s right in 26 pages its does not rate a mention. Nothing. Incredible.

OK, no joy there. So lets turn to Australian Property Rights. This groups sole issue is vegetation management in QLD and it is recognized as the states leading advocacy group on vegetation management and property rights.

When we go to their web site incredibly we find – nothing. Here is a link to their Press releases.

To his full credit President John Purcell did write a very good article published on Agmates. You can see it here. I am aware that John has been in ill health and this is in no way a criticism of him. My question is where is the rest on the PRA organization when its members needed them.

Finally lets look at the Australian Beef Association (ABA)

When we go to their web site what do we find, surprise, surprise – nothing.

Agmates has been the only media or organization attacking this issue. Obviously I’m the idiot here. Its not an issue at all. Apparently QLD farmers and their representative organizations don’t care two hoots that a re-elected Labor government was preparing to and now has banned the clearing of regrowth.

Or maybe it’s that they have known all along that the LNP will win the election this Saturday and the Tree Clearing Laws will remain unchanged.

Who knows, you’ve gotta get lucky sometimes. If the LNP does win, I will bow to AgForce, QFF, PRA and ABA’s superior knowledge and wisdom.

In fact I will gladly apologize to them all publicly here on Agmates for questioning their deliberate strategy of complete inaction on this issue.

END

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Have your say!

Well what do you know, AgForce is shocked that it has been outflanked by the Greens and their pre-election preference deal with the Labor party.

Here is AgForces latest press release.

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Preference deals that lead to restrictions on farming are ill-advised at this time of global downturn when agriculture is the one bright spots on Queensland’s economic horizon, said AgForce acting chief executive officer Andrew Freeman.

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Wow that’s a revelation Andrew. Why is it that you political novices at AgForce just don’t get it.

Agmates flagged this would happen see here.

Agmates also told you that your strategy of ignoring the issue (against the wishes of your members) in the lead up to the election was a disastrous strategy, see here.

Apparently Andrew thought AgForce had a deal with Anna Bligh.

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The Labor Party’s announcement yesterday of a three-month moratorium on endangered regrowth clearing is of grave concern to AgForce, which had earlier received a commitment from Premier Anna Bligh that there would be no changes to vegetation management laws before she talked with farmers.

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Oh dear Andrew, everybody in the real world except you and John Cotter could see that the deal was on. The Greens set it up and your organization fell for it ‘hook, line and sinker’. Screaming about it now is really quiet pathetic.

In fact as Agmates pointed out this election campaign has graphically demonstrated the dangers of having naive political amateurs like you and John Cotter representing them.  See here.

Agmates and indeed your own members were demanding that AgForce ‘get on the front foot’ on this issue at the start of the campaign, but your President John Cotter and your executive decided that ‘keeping mum’ on the issue during the campaign was the ‘best’ approach.

Well Andrew, disastrously you were wrong and look at the price your members and Queensland farmers will now pay.

You know Andrew and John, here is a novel idea for you to consider for the future, why not try listening to your members from time to time.

Oh that is if you have many members left after this debacle.

END

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Have Your Say.

You know it amazes me. On the article about the Victorian Farmers Federation we are up to 57 Comments and the discussion has been robust, which tells me there are a lot of passionate active farmers in the South.

OK, I'll stop flogging the dead horse.

Yet the AgForce v the Greens regrowth election issue which is crucial to farming in not only Queensland but Australia has attracted little comment. I’ve written 3 articles in which I detail the backroom deals being done by Labor and the Greens that effectively mean the fate of QLD farmers is being sealed before the election by a Green Minority.

If Labor Wins QLD Election On Greens Vote – Clearing Regrowth Across Australia Win End …. 6 comments ( not one QLD farmer)

The next article was on AgForce’s inept response to this manipulation of Labor by the Green minority.

John Cotter & AgForce High Stakes Gamble On QLD Election … 9 comments (1 from a QLD Farmer)

Then again yesterday an article with reference from The Australian, confirming what I’d been saying about the sly backroom deals being done between Labor and the Greens.

Greens Expose AgForce as Amateurs In State Political Games …. 1 Comment (not a QLD farmer)

Very interesting comment from Wheres Wally a NSW farmer who is amazed at the lack of QLD farmer input on this vital issue.

Great paper mate !!

But it looks like you are flogging a dead horse with this story. My ole pappy always told me that the trick with riding a dead horse is knowing when to dismount.

Cockies out there don’t care what deals, arrangements, and understandings those blokes at agforce do, or have done with the ALP or the Greens.

You may get better engagement by doing a story on the techniques and qualifications needed for riding the dead horse.

It would appear QLD farmers and graziers don’t believe what they are reading or don’t care. So I’ll take Wheres Wally’s advice and stop flogging the dead horse.

Footnete: I won’t write on this subject again, but I can’t resist this final comment.

If Labor get up on March 21, they will ban the treating of regrowth. Watch the howls of protest come from AgForce and QLD farmers then. All I say is – you were warned, but you chose to remain silent, when it mattered.

END

Have your say!

With 10 days to got to the QLD state election it is disturbing to watch the political games being played that directly impact the livelihoods of our state farmers. A few days ago I wrote an article:

If Labor Wins The Election On The Green Vote – Clearing Regrowth Across Australia Will End.

This article clearly outlined the tactics that WWF and the Greens are employing and it is confirmed in today’s Australian Newspaper

Greens Turn Back On LNP

To quote from the article:

The Greens announced yesterday they would not give their preferences to the LNP ……..

Ronan Lee said yesterday the LNP decision to allow uranium mining in QLD had finalised the Green’s decision…… But negotiations with the ALP continued, with preferences in about 12 seats up for discussion.

He would like Labor to move towards the World Heritage listing of Cape York, abolish loopholes in tree clearing legislation …..

Seats where Greens preferences could decide the outcome include Chandler, Aspley, Cleveland, Pumicestone, Mudgeeraba, Mulgrave and Hervey Bay….

The Greens are making it crystal clear that they will only give Anna Bligh and Labor their CRUCIAL preferences in these marginal seats if they get an iron clad commitment to legislate those issued mention if they are re-elected.

And as we all know, after the election results are in, and if Labor gets up, particularly if its close Labor will ‘pay the piper’.

Peak farm body AgForce and QLD farmers can spill blood on the steps of Parliament house after the election over the stopping of regrowth treatment and it won’t make a zot of difference. Politicians are all about getting reelected and they don’t bite the hand that feeds them, no matter what.

The whole thing is an absolute set up by the Greens and AgForce has fallen for it hook line and sinker.

All AgForce has to do is be out their in those marginal seats explaining to voters that if / when the Greens get their way this will ultimately strangle our ability to feed ourselves. Mark my words if Labor gets up they will be stopping the treatment of regrowth exactly to the letter of what is published on the WWF site.

For Pete’s sake  – we are not talking about the resumption of  uranium mining here. We are just talking about maintaining our current capacity to feed ourselves.

How hard is that to sell to a urban population? What is happening is frightening – if Labor gets up – God help us.

We’ll look back and say John Cotter and AgForced took a massive punt. If Labor gets up, AgForce will have given away farmers ability to control regrowth without a squeak – Why would any farmer want to belong to a farm body that did that?

I know you are like me and most QLD farmers – “I rather die on my feet than live on my knees”

About time John Cotter and AgForce got of theirs and made a stand, while it still counts for something.

END

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Have Your Say!

John Cotter

If current QLD Premier has to rely on Green preference votes to retain government or even is returned with a reduced margin she will honour her pre-election promise to the Greens and halt all clearing of regrowth.

In what can only be described as a high risk gamble AgForce and the groups President John Cotter have decided to keep the issue out of the spotlight.

In a recent AgForce Members Alert (25th of February) John Cotter outlined the groups election strategy.

AgForce has long-recognized the importance of engaging urban consumers on the basis of where food comes from, which was the essence of our ‘Every Family Needs A Farmer campaign’.

During the first part of this year, I have been actively communicating our rural perspective to urban audiences via regular interviews on Brisbane commercial and FM radio and in The Courier Mail.

Sorry I must have missed that John Cotter, even though I comb the Courier Mail everyday. Now here John articulates his (AgForces) campaign strategy to members for the upcoming election:

It would be easy for us to talk about a whole range of issues that you understand and would like to hear us talking about on your behalf such as vegetation management, reef regulation and the encroachment of mining on agricultural land.

Well actually John Cotter, yes that is exactly what we’d expect from you and AgForce the most influential farmers lobby group in QLD.

However, we trust you understand that our focus needs to be targeted at the informed swinging voters in the vital seats on the northern coastal strip and the south-east corner who that (sic) will decide the outcome.

On reading this, right there and then I was outraged. John Cotter and AgForce have decided that they are not going to stand up and represent QLD farmers on those issues that are crucial to the long term viability, no,  let me say survival of agriculture in QLD.

John Cotter even says that he and AgForce actually know what their members expect of them:

and would like to hear us talking about on your behalf such as vegetation management, reef regulation and the encroachment of mining on agricultural land.

But he hopes you understand that they won’t be. Well what the hell are they going to campaign on? John writes:

Focusing on our relevance to everyday urban living gives AgForce some levergae to create an expectation of the need to support agricultural businesses and the need to invest in things such as roads and rail infastructure and education in rural areas.

Right there and then if I were a member of AgForce I would resign on the spot.

Can I make this clearer, if Anna Bligh is re-elected she has committed to the Greens to stop clearing of regrowth. If that happens, as productive land is choked out by the green invasive scrub, there will be no farmers and no food.

John Cotter and AgForce what other message do you need to get across to the folk in the cities?

As the peak farmer organization AgForce and John Cotter are taking an enormous gamble with the livelihoods of thousands of rural Queenslander’s with this insane policy of ignoring it’s members issues and views.

Is it any wonder farmers are abandoning the peak farmer bodies in droves?  Aaaahhhhh

END

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Have Your Say!