What about our failed car industry? They get handouts every day of the week. And the racing industry. And mining. And energy. And so on.

Perhaps the worst offender of course is the religion industry, glued like a limpet to the ATO back pocket it contributes nothing but fear and pain to society, yet gets a free kick for doing so.

There is no area of 'free market business' that does not get a dole payment from the ATO.

But 'dole bludgers' are frowned on.

*So, how about a scheme that takes the 'excess profits' from the 'lucky farmers' and gives it to the 'unlucky ones'*

Yup Rehctub, its called taxation. It already exists.

I seem to recall that you own a couple of thousand acres
of farmland. Are you being paid huge subsidies on that?

Working on the land for 25 years along with most of my relatives Farmers, interacting with many Aus farmers, dairy farmers and graziers, I can tell you all, that many have never put their hands out for government assistance/drought relief or other government schemes and programs advertised.

Further, most are taxed highly and were ordered to pay probate during droughts spanning 20 year and more periods with total incomes going into expensive overheads to support Australia's trade and many public servants, similar to many other exporters supporting and boosting our trade.

When there are no more crops, beef, lamb, wool and dairy exports and/or expensive or rare meat for sale, recall your viewpoints people.

I have tears everywhere WAU.

Farmers are on a par with whingeing Poms.

Flogging our land into oblivion, wasting the water, inviting salt to invade everywhere, endless logging, soil destruction, desertification, scaremongering on Native title, and endless support from the ATO.

Do we need farming?

Of course we do, all of us.

And there is a good case for supporting farmers when the weather goes against them, but not when they farm and flog the land or rush into wool when there is a glut, or sheep when there is a glut and so on.

Unfortunately, they support the 'free market' and refuse to be assisted in an orderly manner, even though they know the 'free market' is a total failure for them.

Farmers are gamblers, like share holders are, and we need them like we need another GFC, the result of poor judgement and gambling on a massive scale.

Rehctub just has this thing about banana farmers, for some reason.
They would only make up a tiny fraction of Australia's farmers.

Most farmers in fact have to compete on global markets, at
global prices, as around two thirds of our production is exported.

They survive by being some of the most efficient farmers in the
world. They can't just rip off those little old ladies like
the butchers can :)

A kilo of snags and a 500 grm butchers finger is part of the Oz culture Yabby, where would we be without it?

Maybe he hates Italians?

Farmers do compete on the global market, some of them, but they can only do that because no one counts the cost of their damage as part of the production costs, like mining of course, and most other industry that gets a free gift from we long suffering fools..