Figures on rural debt in Queensland depict an industry facing major crisis unless governments are prepared to take major steps to assist a significant proportion of farmers facing potential bankruptcy. The figures were compiled by Hart Larwill chartered accountants in Brisbane, and are based on the Queensland Rural Agricultural Authority 1998 Rural Debt Survey. The…
Since the beginning of the year, major industrial disputes – of a type not seen in Australia for about 20 years – have erupted, causing widespread fears that Australia is returning to the ‘bad old days’ of the 1970s, when industrial warfare was a feature of Australian life, causing damage to many industries. Many people,…
The Victorian Government has been the most active in Australia in pursuing opportunities to gain additional funds through sale of public utilities. In many respects it is rather similar to the activities of a private company, eg BHP, in selling off non-performing assets.When a public utility is sold, the new owner has to recover the…
Bill Smith, an only child, grew up in country Victoria, in the Mansfield district. At the onset of the Depression the family moved to the city, his father believing there would be better educational opportunities for Bill in the city than in the country. In 1929, at the age of twelve, Bill started with the…