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What about OUR farmers? Government hands out $210million a year in foreign aid for agriculture overseas - but can only afford to LOAN drought-hit Australians $44million (and they have to pay it back) Taxpayers gave more money to Indonesian farmers than struggling Australian graziers in the most recent budget. Australia handed out $4.2 billion in foreign aid in the May budget. Of that, $209.7 million was spent on foreign aid for farmers in at least 26 countries, with $45.4 million going to Indonesian farmers as drought-stricken Australian farmers were allocated just $43.8 million in concessional loans. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also gave $24.5 million to Cambodian farmers in the 2018/19 budget as it also doled out $21.1 million to their counterparts in Vietnam. Another $15.5 million was given to Afghanistan's agricultural sector along with another $8.3 million for Pakistanis on the land. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6009205/Farmers-furious-government-gives-21-billion-foreign-aid-Australian-farmers-battle-drought.html

Here we are borrowing money going into debt and giving it away while ignoring the needs of local farmers.

Aussie farmers are real men and women and would urinate on anyone offering free money.

The most terrifying words one can hear are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'.

Unforgiven wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 12:27am:

Aussie farmers are real men and women and would urinate on anyone offering free money.

Get a job and pay some taxes ya dopey bum

Baronvonrort wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 12:29am:

Unforgiven wrote on Aug 4th, 2018 at 12:27am: Aussie farmers are real men and women and would urinate on anyone offering free money. Get a job and pay some taxes ya dopey bum

Your scriptwriter is as dry as a nun's nasty.

"Australian taxpayers have given $21 billion in foreign aid since the 2014 budget"

This must be a typo by the Daily Mail, surely. I'm trying to get my head around that. Haven't our farmers been in drought for most of the time since 2014? The drought didn't start yesterday. There's lots of other things needed to be done here at home as well, money like that could go a long way rebuilding our country roads that have gone to the pack, and generally building infrastructure in rural Australia for new businesses to start and provide employment would be a good idea

This globalization thing has gone way too far, and the National Party is right in on it. The farmers can't expect adequate help when the NP votes to give big chunks of money to foreign countries

I know the growers in the US get way more support by the legislation as well.

We could do with some much stronger laws in biosecurity to protect the environment and farms.

The greens cant bring themselves to back any legislation that will help the environment,,,, in case it helps farmers ,,,,, their sworn enemies.

Baronvonrort wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 12:19am:

Quote: What about OUR farmers? Government hands out $210million a year in foreign aid for agriculture overseas - but can only afford to LOAN drought-hit Australians $44million (and they have to pay it back) (snip) Here we are borrowing money going into debt and giving it away while ignoring the needs of local farmers.

This is what happens when governments penny-pinch too much.

* Loans to farmers who are already burdened by debt.
* $100,000 degrees that are structured as loans.
* Robo debts and whacking people with unappealable financial penalties for petty reasons.

The common thread here is taking money back from people that really should have been grants in various forms while everyone else gains indirect benefits.

The current drought in NSW is showing quite clearly that the system isn't working. We need to consider policy alternatives. Increasing taxes and increasing spending on financial security for farmers in drought years should be considered.

miketrees wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 8:43am:

I know the growers in the US get way more support by the legislation as well. We could do with some much stronger laws in biosecurity to protect the environment and farms. The greens cant bring themselves to back any legislation that will help the environment,,,, in case it helps farmers ,,,,, their sworn enemies.

I disagree here. Where's your evidence? The idea that the Greens actively work against farmers is frothy-mouthed nonsense.

The Greens and farmers have been on the same side of some issues such as opposing fracking and protecting water resources.

Bam wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 10:34am:

miketrees wrote on Aug 4th, 2018 at 8:43am: I know the growers in the US get way more support by the legislation as well. We could do with some much stronger laws in biosecurity to protect the environment and farms. The greens cant bring themselves to back any legislation that will help the environment,,,, in case it helps farmers ,,,,, their sworn enemies. I disagree here. Where's your evidence? The idea that the Greens actively work against farmers is frothy-mouthed nonsense. The Greens and farmers have been on the same side of some issues such as opposing fracking and protecting water resources.

  whats your thoughts on their NO DAMS... when I see all that flood water go to waste  in Qld year in year out I could scream   yet the greens block DAM building....


I dont think we are meant to waste so much water....

cods wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 10:46am:

Bam wrote on Aug 4th, 2018 at 10:34am: miketrees wrote on Aug 4th, 2018 at 8:43am: I know the growers in the US get way more support by the legislation as well. We could do with some much stronger laws in biosecurity to protect the environment and farms. The greens cant bring themselves to back any legislation that will help the environment,,,, in case it helps farmers ,,,,, their sworn enemies. I disagree here. Where's your evidence? The idea that the Greens actively work against farmers is frothy-mouthed nonsense. The Greens and farmers have been on the same side of some issues such as opposing fracking and protecting water resources.   whats your thoughts on their NO DAMS... when I see all that flood water go to waste  in Qld year in year out I could scream   yet the greens block DAM building.... I dont think we are meant to waste so much water....

We should be catching all grey water

Remember the Murray Darling system... how it dried up while Queensland 'farmers' were diverting billions of megalitres into huge and often illegal dams, and high water usage 'crops' that really didn't fit in were being planted out West in NSW... and massive pine plantations sucked up water at the very start of the Murray and Snowy??

There are dams and there are dams..... and it is the use to which that water is put that counts....

Far better to look at the massive runoff Outback that ends up in Lake Eyre and dries into good salt... or on the massive flooding east of the mountains that simply runs out to sea and as Setanta suggested could be diverted inland with a major infrastructure system...

Anyway - charity begins at home.... we need to look after our own first and go it Sinn Fein.... Ourselves Alone.. I have sympathy for disease ridden overcrowded near lawless nations....... but that's where it ends - you can't prop them all up or make payouts over guilt trips such as what the Europeans did to Asia etc...

Get over it... THIS country is in dire straits.....

Remember the good old days when 'captains of industry' were treated with respect and took care of their underlings?  Remember when politicians were viewed with at least a neutral stance as regards honour, because they did things for the people?  Now they're all regarded as the lowest kind of guttersnipe no better than the lowest Mafia bent on ripping the guts out of everything and giving it to their mates without paying for it via taxes and full wages.  And rightly so......

https://greens.org.au/campaigns/end-live-exports

The uselessGreens want to help ban live exports.

That would be a disaster for Australia, more animal suffering will take place as animals will be sought in other nasty countries without laws,
Farmers will reduce sheep numbers, meaning farming systems will rely more heavily on the use of herbicides.

The Greens usually stuff things up, but this time they will have at least a trifecta.

The Greens are not interested in animal welfare they are interested in the Greens welfare, slurping up votes from ill informed people.

miketrees wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 12:44pm:

https://greens.org.au/campaigns/end-live-exports The uselessGreens want to help ban live exports. That would be a disaster for Australia, more animal suffering will take place as animals will be sought in other nasty countries without laws, Farmers will reduce sheep numbers, meaning farming systems will rely more heavily on the use of herbicides. The Greens usually stuff things up, but this time they will have at least a trifecta. The Greens are not interested in animal welfare they are interested in the Greens welfare, slurping up votes from ill informed people.

I am not a Green, The live animal trade is extremely cruel and abhorrent to a civilised person. No amount of export dollars will change that.

I am not a Green, The live animal trade is extremely cruel and abhorrent to a civilised person. No amount of export dollars will change that.

I bet you have not been on a boat, just seen edited footage.

And stopping Aussie farmers just means more trade to the North African countries and their standards are oh so much better.

So your hearts in the right place at least, just your head is misguided.

miketrees wrote on Aug 4^th, 2018 at 1:58pm:

I am not a Green, The live animal trade is extremely cruel and abhorrent to a civilised person. No amount of export dollars will change that. I bet you have not been on a boat, just seen edited footage. And stopping Aussie farmers just means more trade to the North African countries and their standards are oh so much better. So your hearts in the right place at least, just your head is misguided.

No, I havent been on a boat, ive seen them loaded and Ive seen the cruelty dealt out to the animals overseas. Even many farmers admit it is cruel. If you dont think it is cruel based on available evidence then show your evidence why. Because all available evidence shows that it is cruel, and when you have 20 percent or more of the animals dying on the journey then its a no brainer. These cultures which we export to are extremely cruel towards animals and their slaughtering methods are extremely inhumane., You need to go there and view for yourself.

http://oi64.tinypic.com/10nxik5.jpg