The reason they stop people growing those lady fingure ones is that they are hardy and grow just about anywhere. So they tell the public its because od disease. the reason they stopped people having a couple of chooks in the back yard for fresh eggs is the same.
That is to control the industries. They want you to pay top prices instead of walking in your back yard. Its called Tax!
Wake up Australia

Mirko, imported bananas may or may not carry a disease risk but professer's of law do not. I propose we open the door to third world professer's of law prepared to work at half your rate

Mirko,

I also love bananas.

Its possible that the phillipines could control diseases in export bananas, but would it happen?

My understanding is that corruption is widespread in the phillipines. Surely it would be a simple matter to bribe inspectors thus invalidating any controls.

Also look at the huge costs of eradicating other pests which may be accidentally brought in, similar to the fire ant.

By the way, avocadoes are almost as easy as bananas to prepare if you cross hatch with a knife before spooning out.

No extra charge for culinary tips!

I want I want is nice, but what is wrong with just accepting that yes we have no bananas? There used to be a time when if fruit and veg were not in season then you didn't eat them. They are not a food staple, you won't die if you don't get them, so why risk it?

Who is going to be up in arms when something is acccidentally imported that is just as nasty as the cane toad and wipes out important agricultural crops? Or we find out we are eating produce sprayed with banned over here but not over there pesticides/ fungicides etc. As for trusting foreign paperwork stating the contrary, having worked overseas, I don't think it's worth the paper it's written on. I for one would rather be bananaless and safe than sorry. No I don't grow them but I have had a plant in a past back yard, and those will beat the commercial ones hands down.

Peanut butter stays on the bread just as well as bananas IMHO, and why not use the opportunity to explore more cullinary delights for lunch, I'm sure the scope of your cullinary creativity is wider than just bananas! Oh and the scoring of the Avocados works a treat, try it teamed up with smoked salmon... mmmm Salmon and Avocado....I'm off to make a sandwich!

Good article - western governments that preach free trade, but refuse to open their doors to exports from poor countries that could benefit most from the growth which trade creates, are both hypocritical and unethical. And many of Australia’s so-called quarantine restrictions on imports are nothing more than back door protectionism.

I take issue with one line in the article, however. Mirko says “…we … have an obligation to distribute our wealth to those in greatest need.” Trade lawyers may approach trade negotiations as a zero sum game, in which the benefits to poor countries from access to our markets are won at our expense. But most economists would argue that trade is a positive sum game – we would benefit no less than the exporting countries from opening our doors to their exports. Think of all those cheap bananas (and shoes, shirts, cars, avocadoes…)

Call me old fashioned, but I think that Australia should not import foods,
not bananas from Phillippines or Fiji,
or potato fries from Belgium and Holland
or greenbeans from China.

Being truly antedeluvian I don't think that Australia should export jobs like
trams should be manufactured in Victoria
trains should be manafactured in Dandenong
Australian tax Office programmers should be Australians working on computers in Australia, not India as at present
bank software and personal data should be maintained in Australia by australians.

The Australians whose jobs have gone when the jobs are exported overseas, don't get another job, they just rot on the dole or their spouses income or their savings. ACTU estimates that 55% of retrenched workers never work again, 10% get better jobs and the rest are worse off with part time, lower paid or unskilled work.