Health issues are likely to drive governments to seriously consider mandating ethanol for motor vehicles, saving substantially on the health budget and providing an enormous boost to the sugar cane industry. Pat Byrne reports. Up to one fifth of all lung cancer deaths are caused by air pollution, tiny airborne particles emitted largely from motor vehicle…
Federal and State governments appear oblivious to the magnitude of the proposal to take 5-15 per cent of water allocations off farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin. Water rights are attached to property rights. The security of water rights are a guarantee to farmers, and to the banks which provide farmers capital, that farmers will be…
Sugar deregulation and the removal of farmers’ water allocations in several states could prove to be a tragedy for the National Party. Investment in cane harvesters is a key industry barometer. Orders used to be around 160 p.a. until partial deregulation in 1996. In 2001 only 15 were sold. In 2002 it dropped to nine,…
The proposal to reallocate up to 15% of farmers water allocations for environmental flows down the Murray-Darling Basin is a flawed process, argues Professor John J Pigram. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of New England, was previously Director of the Centre for Water Policy Research at UNE, is President of the International Water…