I started drifting from Labor in the 1980's, while at uni and on a yearly income of less than $10,000 I had to pay the ATO $400 when the Hawke government moved to have Austudy as taxable income. Already struggling, I found that $400 hard to find.

I have watched successive Labor and Liberal governments privatise and tax low income people (GST), provide middleclass welfare (baby bonus), ignore essential services, infrastructure and pour empty words forth on the topic of sustainable practices. At the same time I have watched the Greens emerge from a fledging one-issue party to a substantial party just as valid as were the Democrats and hopefully more tuned into the average Aussie, than the hapless Democrats when lead by Meg Lees.

One would think that corporations would be more into long-term survival, than they have shown thus far - where is the investment into renewable energy by the big oil companies? Seems an obvious move, that saves both jobs, fossil fuels and the environment.

http://www.moreesolarfarm.com.au/Home.htm

You only need to look, Ammonite. Right here under your nose,
BP have a large stake in the Moree solar project. In fact they
have been involved in making solar cells since the 70s.

Shell for years owned and bankrolled Solarhart, Australia's largest
manufacturer of solar hot water systems. All around the world,
the oils have investments in renewable energy. Because you don't
know about it, does not mean its not happening.

Well, yeah, Yabby, BP changed its logo to one resembling a flower....what more evidence do we need of its environmental credentials. : )

Yabby

IS that the Gulf of Mexico BP? Or some other one that is actually environmentally responsible. Not enough just to produce solar cells now is it?

Poirot

:D

*where is the investment into renewable energy by the big oil companies?*

That is the question I was responding to, Ammonite. As I have
shown, you were wrong.

Yes indeed BP screwed up in the Gulf.
You and Poirot as customers, keep demanding more oil to drive your
cars and bikes around, oil companies drill ever more difficult
areas of the globe. BP is run by humans and humans keep showing
poor judgement and make mistakes. Its a human foible. Mind you,
if we look at the disasters inflicted on us by Govts, industry does
not do too badly.

I was watching Landline and there was
a story about the University of Darwin letting large mobs of cattle
starve to death.Here we get all these lectures about the evil
meat industry, those evil Indonesians, and right here under our
noses, a university commits mass animal cruelty. We won't even
start about all the rest.

But of course its so easy for the pair of you to pontificate from
your cheap seats. A little objectivity would help.

Yabby,
The fact is the Indonesians poor farmers have lobbies their government for years stop live imports because it was sending many bankrupt.Oh, Of course! Gertrude is making that up!
Yes Yabby, thats what you always say. Look for yourself its right there under your nose.
Nobody has EVER blamed the Indonesians! Its the lies of the industry that are to blame sport. All that crap about feeding the poor Indonesians is a lie! Live exports hurts the poor Indonesians not helps. Which is why on the 3.10.2010 the Trade Minister for Indonesia told Australia they were aiming to stop all live imports by 2014 .
They did the right thing to give us time to find an alternative market.Unlike the industry in Australia who dont care how many plants ( abattoirs) close - jobs lost staff lose houses.

The university thing was kept quite- wonder who own the university huh? RSPCA are not there- never have been accept for dogs cats.

Australia's Animal welfare is a SHAM.