*In true soviet style, there is also a law that allows inspectors to stop and search vehicles for rock lobsters*

Hang on, Sarnian, that is hardly Soviet style. Catch limits and
size limits apply to various wild caught seafood, from fish to
marron to abalone. For very good reasons, to make the fishery
sustainable. Otherwise people will plunder the resource as they
do in places like Thailand. When I was in Phuket once, they explained
to me that the locals had harvested every lobster down to the size
of a finger and that anything of size was now being plundered from
Burma.

Years ago they regulated many things especially in WA, as if you
look on a map, the place is a long way from anywhere and there were
no trucks whizzing between East and West, as happens now. From
egg production to the export of lambs, it was regulated. As time
has passed, these things were deregulated. Potatoes will be too,
its just a question of time. I agree, there is no good reason to
regulate them anymore. While we are at it, we might as well deregulate
the labour market too.

Yabby ,you cannot compare the scarcity of Lobsters to the abundance of potatoes.The regulation of potatoes is just insane.There is too much Govt regulation.

Arjay, if you read and think a bit about what was posted, you'll
notice that I did not compare them. I commented about Sarnian's
claim and explained why some things were regulated decades ago.

"There is very little that we can do that is completely independent of some rule or regulation. And fair enough too."

This is the exact sort of attitude that allows the government to not only access and monitor your private communications, but also track us via our phone/gps. The next dictator (socialist/fascist/other) will have much more powerful tools at their disposal to control and oppress the population.

You may have socialist potatoes in WA, but we have globe trotting tomatoes in Qld.

Bundaberg & Hervey Bay are only about 60Km apart, but Bundaberg tomatoes must do 700Km to Hervey Bay. They have to take the scenic route through Brisbane markets, just to burn some truck diesel.

When a Bundaberg grower, during a glut, took a truck load to Hervey Bay, to sell very cheep, by the box, to the public, his penalty was five times as much the bloke who held up a service station, with a gun, the same day.

Perhaps our magistrates are just as mad as the reserve bank board, the potato marketing board/whatever, or the tomato police.

Ludwig
Comparing speed limits and potato marketing regulations is silly. And the regulator picked on one farmer because he opposed the system – a serious misuse of authority, in my view.

I disagree that we need rules and regulations for almost everything we do. That really is the statist nightmare of fascism and communism.

What makes you say the system is “not all that bad”. It delivers poor choice (have you ever eaten a Nadine potato?) and higher prices. The fact that many WA potato growers support the regulated system simply demonstrates the fact that this regulation, like so many others, benefits a small group sharing a vested interest at the expense of the broader community.