CONTACT Richard Farmer PO Box 613 Tanunda SA 5352 Phone: 0422 083 285
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Thursday, 30 November 2006
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A Parliament is nothing less than a big meeting of more or less idle people. -- Walter Bagehot |
A Carlton Versus Fremantle Type of Crowd There were a few die hard members of the Melbourne Cricket Club who thought it was oh so wrong to allow the Australian Council of Trade Unions to hire the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a rally by workers. It was providing the class enemy with a venue to display its opposition to those good and solid chaps of the Liberal Government in Canberra and that would never do.
The lure of the mighty dollar eventually spoke louder than the ageing members of the Melbourne establishment and thus it was this morning that the G was the base for a nationwide series of rallies against the work place relations laws.
The opponents of the hiring need not have worried. Rather than providing a backdrop of grandstands filled to capacity to illustrate a massive uprising by workers, the MCG had the rather dismal crowd that might be attracted to watch a woeful Carlton take on the friendless Fremantle. This was not some public relations triumph but rather an ominous warning to the union movement that its campaign against the government might be appealing to the shrinking minority of its members but it is failing to stir the majority of wage earners.
I must admit to being a little surprised at the lack of enthusiasm for the trade union day of protest. I predicted a far greater turnout than there was in Melbourne and in the other cities and towns around the country. It seems that every week that goes by without workers personally suffering from changes to the industrial relations system sees fears about those changes recede. The payments starting this week of the new higher minimum wages authorised under it will no doubt accelerate the acceptance.
Rudd Not Promoting but Not Stopping Either
There is one simple way to put an end to all the Labor leadership speculation. Get rid of the contender.
Kevin Rudd just has to publicly tell his colleagues that he will not stand for the position before the next election and if drafted he will not serve. Should Kim Beazley step down, Mr Rudd needs to say, I will not be a contender to replace him. Full stop, rule off and all go home for the Christmas holidays.
That Mr Rudd contents himself with simple expressions of loyalty to his leader without making an emphatic declaration that he would not take the job if offered, tells us something about his ambition. The man lives in hope that big Kim might actually be forced to resign so he can inherit the leadership mantle.
Thus the has beens and never will bes of the parliamentary Labor Party are encouraged to continue their background briefings alleging that the pressure on Big Kim is mounting. And so the stories continue as journalists try and make a self fulfilling prophecy.
Perhaps the real story that is actually going on within the Labor Party is a growing realisation that a man prepared to allow such damaging leadership speculation to continue is not the kind of man the party would actually want as its leader.
Safety of Cuddly Koalas Important for Senator Campbell
Environment Minister Senator Ian Campbell should be keeping a close watch on the Chiang Mi Zoo until election day because the fate of four Australian koalas will determine whether animal rights becomes an important issue in our next election. The good Senator allowed the export of the koalas, against the wishes of animal welfare groups, after Thailand provided Australian zoos with new elephants.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) fears the zoo is not an adequate protector of its exhibits and cites reports that 104 animals of 21 different species had died there, including birds, species of deer, dingoes, wallabies and emus. IFAW's suspicions were further aroused by plans (now abandoned) to serve species such as tiger, giraffe, elephant, lion and kangaroo at the zoo's restaurant.
Australian politicians are just beginning to realise the growing power of animal rights groups to influence public opinion. Cuddly koalas are a potent symbol for IFAW and others to spread their animal welfare message. Professor Bruce Prideaux of James Cook University yesterday released details of a survey which showed koalas topped the list of wildlife tourists most want to see while holidaying in Australia . Prof Prideaux estimated the cuddly creatures generate around $1.1 billion in tourism revenue across Australia each year.
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