There has been no official announcement however there’s no prizes for guessing that the Queensland Government is intent on shutting the Burdekin Rural Ag College (or as it is now known, the ‘Burdekin Campus of the Australian Agricultural College’).
Word has it that the government will explain it away by saying it’s due to dwindling enrolment. Agriculture is one of Australia’s few valuable and consistent export industries (far more consistent than the boom/bust mining industry). And production of our own food is the single most important industry in Australia (no food = starvation; it doesn’t matter how good education, medical, transport & technology services are, or anything else). If enrolment in university medical courses and teacher education colleges was dwindling, would the government shut the relevant courses & colleges down? Of course not! They would examine ways to lift student enrolment – as they have been doing in recent years.
So why shut Burdekin Ag. College? I don’t suppose it would possibly have anything to do with the prospect of shoring up Labor Government coffers with another juicy asset sale?
If you are a Queensland resident (an essential requirement of being a signatory), please sign the Queensland Government E-Petition. Rosemary Menkens, Ayr-based MP for the Burdekin, is circulating the petition. I am sure our Queensland Government will close the Burdekin Ag College if they think they can get away with it. North Queensland is a long way from Brisbane. So speak up now before it is too late. Apparently this petition closes on 28 August 2009, so forward the details on to as many Queenslanders as possible.