Foreign ownership of Australian land and water

October 4th, 2011

There has been quite a bit written about recently published figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showing the percentage of overseas ownership of Australian land.  Many writers have conveniently interpreted the figures to mean Australians are a paranoid, parochial lot – unreasonably concerned with mythically increasing overseas ownership. There is virtually no objective analysis and in-depth discussion of […]

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Rally at Anthony Albanese’s Marrickville office

September 2nd, 2011

There are some well written reports online regarding yesterday’s anti-carbon tax rally outside Anthony Albanese’s Sydney office.   These reports include informative images, such as on the No Carbon Tax website.  Unfortunately there are many biased reports also, implying that the crowd jostled Anthony Albanese etc.  One ABC report unfortunately also says that yesterday’s rally outside Anthony Albanese’s office […]

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Another La Nina weather pattern for Australia in late 2011?

September 1st, 2011

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says current La Nina/El Nino-related weather measurements are at present still mostly neutral.  However there is some possibility that the Pacific Ocean will cool further, which will result in the return of a La Nina weather pattern (though not as strong as was the case for the last wet season, which was indicated as […]

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Convoy of No Confidence & petition calling for a Federal Election

August 31st, 2011

The Consumers & Taxpayers Association (CATA) has organised a No Carbon Tax rally to be held outside Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese’s Marrickville (Sydney) office at 12 noon tomorrow (Thursday 1st September).  This is in direct response to Anthony Albanese’s  sneering ‘Convoy of No Consequence’ remarks. For more info on the latest No Carbon Tax […]

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Agquip, Gunnedah (NSW) – Australia’s largest agricultural field day

August 22nd, 2011

As is apparently the case in all but the very worst drought years, it rained at Agquip last week – in  fact there was also a bit of hail on the last day.  But like most agricultural field days, rain has a beneficial affect on visitation and sales.  Only an absolute deluge like that received at Agquip 2010, causes running headaches […]

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ABC TV’s Gruen transfer returns – tonight

August 3rd, 2011

The best programme on TV is back on tonight – ABC television’s The Gruen Transfer. Host Will Anderson is a vegetarian who grew up on a Victorian dairy farm, and he’s the only public-figure vegetarian I’ve ever seen who doesn’t try to convert all and sundry.  And he’s hosted a very objective analysis of meat […]

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AACo has sold Meteor Downs Station to Xstrata, presumably to be run by Colinta Holdings

July 23rd, 2011

AACo has sold the central Queensland cattle station ‘Meteor Downs’ to the Swiss mining company, Xstrata.  Meteor Downs is 17,000 ha 40km SE of Springsure (between Emerald & Roma), and it was purchased in 1990 to run the AACo’s Brahman and Santa Gertrudis studs.  In recent years it has been running Wagyu cattle, and growing forage crops […]

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Australia 2012 Year of the Farmer

July 7th, 2011

I must be living under a rock because until yesterday I didn’t know that 2012 is the Year of the Farmer.  Sponsored by Elders, the Year of the Farmer board is impressive.  Included are Deb Bain (Wool & sheep meat producer and Farm Day instigator, Vic), Geoff Bell (NSW), Bill Belotti (agronomist, NSW), Philip Bruem […]

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Great Southern – David Bryant & Rural Funds Management Ltd

July 5th, 2011

Anyone interested in the Great Southern Limited (GSL) saga and what the key Great Southern participants are now doing, would be interested in reading Robert Gottliebsen’s Business Spectator article on David Bryant and his Rural Funds Management company.  Also, this October 2010 Money Management article on the buyback of RFM. And the June 2011 article in The […]

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Animal rights organisations – why are there so many splinter groups?

June 21st, 2011

Why are there so many animal rights organisation instead of just one or two large groups?  Just here in Australia we have the main national organisations:   Animals Australia, PETA, Animal Liberation, RSPCA,Voiceless and Act Now For Animals (ANFA).  There are dozens of local groups and hundreds in Europe and North America.   They’re pushing for a […]

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