Some things about Australian Politics that are difficult to understand…

28 Nov 07

GM Crops

Working on the basis that Australia is a ‘free’ country and opinions are allowed…

How strange that the push to have GM crops permitted in Australia has no link (????) to the refusal of almost all EU countries to admit GM modified grain.

Currently, Australian grain (GM free) is allowed into the EU and USA GM grain is not. Without Australian (GM free) grain, the EU will undoubtedly have to give in to supply demands and allow GM modified grain to be imported.

Given past commodity price ‘adjustments’ by the USA marketers, if GM grain is accepted by the EU it is unlikely that Australian suppliers will get even a look in to the European markets – the nett gain to Australian providers…

And, there is always the question of ‘how does one unscramble the egg’?

Inflation

The ‘Tweedie proposal’ for solving inflation is simple – index ALL parliamentary superannuation negatively to the CPI.

Bet you that any inflation will be solved within a few months!

26 Nov 07

Fuel pricing policies – 1

It is hard to understand why the Federal Government has a levy included in retail the price of petrol to bring it up to ‘World Parity Pricing’ – perhaps it is to stop the supposedly rapacious oil companies from selling us cheaper petrol.

Fuel pricing policies – 2

The ‘temporary’ 3x3 NSW fuel levy was introduced in 1989 for three years – what part of ‘temporary’ does the NSW government have trouble with?

MLAs/MLCs, etc.

Back in the dim past, members of the NSW lower house were Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and members of the NSW upper house were Members of the Legislative Council (MLC). This was changes and now they are known as Members of Parliament (MP) – is this anonymity necessary?

There used to be a distinction between state and federal ministries; now when somebody refers to the ‘Attorney General’ or ‘Minister for Health’ (for examples), to which parliament are they referring?