Well said.

We have many fools running this country who like to rely on economic data that supposedly shows Aust leading the world with few problems.

Lets just all make the pie bigger (the international economy) and hope for the best. We can sell live cattle here and there, and even pretend we are going to be some sort of agriculture superpower for decades to come as long as we get govt out of the way and specialise in what we do well.

There are indeed problems ahead.

Dry land farming is only as reliable as the rain that falls on it!
At some point, farming ceases to be viable.
We see that as a line between arid and agricultural, and that line is moving!
There's nothing the current govts can or will do about it!
Food bowl or quarry?
Well quarries have extremely finite lifetimes! So I guess it's the food bowl.
As for growing a bigger pie?
That's not what politicians do. Their only traditional response, or Pavlov like conditioned reflex, to worsening economic conditions, is to make them worse though budget cuts and or, asinine austerity?
Why?
Well, because they believe, we don't have enough money?
They think we need foreign capital?
And given that this comes in as a debt, covered all too often by a technically worthless letter of credit?
Accepting this money is just adding exponentially to a growing record foreign debt, asset stripping, profit shifting and endemic tax avoidance.
So, are there any other choices?
Well, given it is accomplished with just the stroke of a few keys, quantitative easing and a doubled domestic money supply beckons.
And yes, that measure, would likely drive down the AUD, to at least 65 cents, which virtually every farmer, manufacturer, tourist operator or exporter, will attest, would be no bad thing! {We will have to wean ourselves off of foreign fuel! Thankfully, we have copious local supplies!]
After that, genuine tax reform that ends the need for compliance and all associated costs, would turn the ship of state around and heading in the right direction.
Publicly provided cheap energy, would put some real wind in her economic sails. [See, Thorium cheaper than coal!]
The rest is steering a better course, by just simply investing in our own people, and their better ideas; and subsequently, wrestling back our economic sovereignty, from those carpet bagging multi nationals, who have largely conned or stolen it from us; aided and abetted by, I believe, the money grubbing, [I'm all right jack,] quislings who serve them?
Rhrosty.

Rhosty, do you write articles for OLo or elsewhere. If not, you should be. i like your passion and 'can do' ideas and mentality.

A mate of mine is a retired wheat farmer, from out Dolby way. Great country on the old treeless plain.

One son is trying to carry on the tradition as the 4Th generation of the family on the property.

He tells me it is getting harder.

His grand father needed one good crop every 4 years to be viable. His father could afford a couple of complete failures, provided one crop was a good one.

He needed a good crop every second year. He had to add some acreage, & cotton to be viable.

His son can afford only one year in 4 without good, or at least moderate crops, & also requires a couple of hundred acres of cotton every second year to be viable. The only thing that could make a difference is irrigation, but the greenies would scream at any increase in water use for something useful.

Any increase in costs, like fuel prices, & the place won't be worth farming. They don't see how they could afford to replace the header, & are seriously thinking about getting out, while the land prices don't reflect the lack of profitability.

With current exchange rates farming is Oz is shot, & the fools in the reserve bank & treasury can't even see it.

God help us.

Did anyone else notice that news item that the Chinese are asking for
the Foreign Investment Board's amount over which they must judge be
lifted from $250 million to $1 billion ?

I believe up till now they have been buying adjacent properties under
$250M and joining them together. They must be getting bored with doing
that and just want to buy more of Australia in bigger bights.

What is the effect on sovereignty when the buyer is a foreign government ?
After all the US bought Alaska from the Russians.
If the Chinese can argue sovereignty over all the South China Sea
what might be next ?

Rhrosty - There is a potential fortune being overlooked - that being the tax exemption status given to charities which in essence are going above being a charity and are involved in commercial businesses.
One example is the Royal Far West charity which has just been given approval for two towers of eight and six storeys, including retail, residential and hotel accommodation on the Manly beachfront.

I suspect taxpayers loose millions in tax here alone.

Well said Bazz. We will not wake up until it is too late. Chinese 'investment' will prove to be the end of our Nation as we know it. Both major political parties are hellbent on 'integrating' our once proud, independent and largely European country into some sort of Asian nightmare dominated by the Chinese who are now our 'friends' with whom we have some sort of 'special' relationship. What a load of bollocks. They are not our 'friends' and they are most certainly not our allies. They are an territorially expansionist, highly militaristic and racist nation with their sights firmly set on domination and Australia is a willing target! WAKE UP AUSTRALIA! We can hardly feed ourselves let alone the rest of the world, and as for exporting gas while we import diesel . . . how ridiculous can you get? Especially as we are not allowed to know how much the gas is being 'sold' for as it is not in the national interest. How much of Australia's so called foreign debt is actually repatriated profits from so called 'foreign investment'?

yeah i noticed. What do you expect from a govt with no idea. Taking the money from corrupt elites from non-democratic states is one way to simply to boost GDP, and to hell with any other option that helps boosts need of nation.

If the Coalition proves as useless as Labor, heaven help us.

Cody - Your post is full of holes and meaningless dribble.

Just 2 quick questions to ask you.
1) How many countries has China invaded?
2) How many countries has America invaded?

30 years ago the investment and gas price arguments you used were directed at the Japanese.

the money goes to the tens of thousands of illegals encouraged by Rudd/Gillard, millions or billions on failed Green schemes and a whole fraudulent department (climate change). Food bowl or quarry? we could easily have both if in hands of competent people.

Philip S, as far as I know in recent times only one, Tibet.
The difference to the US is that China has no intention of ever leaving.

However hunger changes all the rules.
The Central Kingdom does have an elevated opinion of itself and has
already lain claim to the South China Sea beyond internationally
agreed boundaries.

Bazz - The number for America is up over the 60 mark.

They leave but usually after installing a puppet ruler.

There are quite a few countries laying claim to that part of the world.

Australians are more racist than Chinese by far Cody just forgot to mention that.

Also you should be old enough to confirm what I wrote about the Japanese in relation to Investment and gas pricing was factual.

runner - Right about the illegal economic invaders for the financial year $8 BILLION dollars worth of contracts have been signed by this Government directly relating to one group of people, sure everyone can guess who they are.

That $8 BILLION does not include the Navy taxi service or federal police time etc that is BILLIONS more.

Philip S

You, Sir, seem to have forgotten, or perhaps were never aware, that the central tenet of chinese culture is their inherent superiority over others, so I do not see how Australians could possibly be more 'racist' than them. You also seem to have forgotten they invaded Tibet and have threatened Vietnam. The big difference between China and the USA is that the Americans eventually leave. Ho Chi Minh once said: 'I would rather sniff American &*^% for five years that eat chinese &*^% for 1000.' They are also threatening other Asian nations - chiefly Japan - with territorial claims. Does the USA do that to anyone?

No Philip S, you are confused.
The other countries, Vietnam & the Phillipines are claiming certain
Islands, but China is claiming the whole sea area, islands and all.
They even dispute other nations ships entering the area.

Philip S

One other thing, is Australia any better off now than 30 years ago? Does our national debt indicate we are? Name me one single benefit of allowing chinese to purchase vast tracts of land and mineral deposits in our nation. Already, everyday, 60% of the profits from mining flow overseas, and all of the real wealth, because almost nothing is actually produced in Australia from those deposits. How does increasing that outflow benefit us?

Free trade is only on the income of agriculture, never on the cost structure of agriculture, so is not a free trade agreement at all, just a income free trade agreement.