Category: Infrastructure Water

Food Water and Minerals – why can’t we have them all?

On By Everald ComptonIn Business and Enterprise, Everald@Large Newsletter 2011, Government, Great Food Bowl, Infrastructure Water, Mining and Resources

The conscience of the nation has been stirred by the ever intensifying and increasingly bitter battle between farmers and miners and coal seam gas producers about land, water and the environment.

This newsletter has been constant in its efforts to remind governments that they are handling these issues quite badly — their main problem being that they have had it in the too hard basket for far too long in the forlorn hope that it will go away. It won’t. Significantly, and for no valid reason, current draft legislation lets gas producers off the hook. Continue reading “Food Water and Minerals – why can’t we have them all?” →

Give Infrastructure Australia a FREE REIN

On By Everald ComptonIn Business and Enterprise, Everald@Large Newsletter 2011, Funding and Finance, Government, Infrastructure Rail, Air, Sea, Infrastructure Water

The infrastructure revolution that Australia so desperately needs will not occur unless all governments give Infrastructure Australia the power that it needs to build national projects with a minimum of government interference.

It was originally established as an advisory body on infrastructure to Federal and State governments, but they were told in advance what projects every government wanted to push — most of which were not in the national interest. They were pork barreling projects designed to help politicians win elections, particularly in marginal seats, and bore no relationship to the long-term needs of the nation. Continue reading “Give Infrastructure Australia a FREE REIN” →

Will there be Peace and Prosperity along the Murray-Darling?

On By Everald ComptonIn Everald@Large Newsletter 2011, Great Food Bowl, Infrastructure Water

The Federal Parliament’s Committee on the Murray Darling, which is chaired by Tony Windsor, has been making good progress in achieving a bipartisan consensus on the future of the farming industry in the region as indicated by their recent report to the Gillard Government.

Additionally, the Murray Darling Basin Authority, led by Craig Knowles, seems to be fostering far better relationships with the community than was achieved by its previous leaders. There is now a real chance that a solution to the region’s current water problems can be achieved if the Government and Opposition don’t turn it into an opportunity to have yet another slanging match. Continue reading “Will there be Peace and Prosperity along the Murray-Darling?” →