COVER STORY: The PM, farmers, the FTA and the election*

The Federal Government doesn’t appear to have recognised the systemic collapse taking place across several rural commodity industries, partly the result of National Competition Policy (NCP), and appears set to sacrifice several other industries in the pursuit of the free trade agreement with the US.Prime Minister Howard recently visited the sugar areas of Cairns and Mackay, although not the Burdekin region near Townsville, the largest growing area, which hosts the strongest opposition to deregul…

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