Dear Steele,

Once again - well argued.

It is indeed a shame that the current government can't see
the value of supporting an Australian industry in food
growing and production. At the rate the government is
going it's creating a domino effect leading to major
destruction of Australian industry. You can be sure that the
residents of the Goulburn Valley will certainly not support
the Libs at the next election - and who can blame them.

Dear Bazz
If the government buys the business for $1 then they will have to spend $140 million dollars to make it a viable business, in most cases I am not a fan of the government trying to run businesses.

If the bailout works then everybody wins.
The government will receive tax income, the workers will have a job and the company will continue to be profitable.

If the bailout is not forthcoming nobody wins. The company writes off an asset, the workers lose their jobs, the government loses the tax revenue and will have to pay welfare payments to a substantial number of people, probably in excess of the of the value of the bailout.

If the bailout is only partial successful and ultimately SPC goes broke anyway, then the government will have cut its loses by some margin due to tax revenues, the workers will have been employed for an extra number of years and $140 million will have been injected into the local area. The big loser will be CC Amital which will have wasted $90 million.

I consider the chance of CC Amital providing the whole amount highly improbable.

Dear Steele
I strongly support your view.

SteeleRedux
If it only "equates to a little over $800 per year per worker." then let the workers fund their own survival either through their bank accounts, a weekly dribble or their superannuation. Why should the taxpayer be involved.
Personally I think the whole affair is a CCA scam.

Dear Chris,

You ask “Why should the taxpayer be involved.”?

Two points.

The first is the most obvious – that poor old tax payer will be involved - providing unemployment benefits to those who lose their jobs.

The second point is that the 3000 workers plus all the producers are all tax payers too. Whether it is drought relief for farmers, bushfire relief for burnt out communities, or flood relief for flood victims the rest of us are usually prepared to pay out to get people back on their feet, or to stop from going under, or in this case to stay on their feet. We not only do it because it is sensible economically but because it is the right thing to do. Australian in fact, or use to be.

All of Abbott's rhetoric at the press conference when the decision was announce was about blaming the workers for things like 'wet allowances', 'penalty rates', 'above award' 'redundancy provisions'. No hint of empathy for the way they must be feeling with their job security now so stricken. These are sacrificial lambs to be slaughtered in the name of 'taking it up to the unions'. They deserve far better.

Obviously no government has a moral right to take money away from us, taxpayers, and give it to a commercial entity - although there's nothing new about it, that would still be theft!

I do like Warmair's original suggestion and am almost tempted to visit the local supermarket right away and deliberately look for "SPC" products (normally I only look at the ingredient-list, not at the titles, so I don't know who produces what) in order to help them out.

... But I wonder: if I did that, wouldn't my money go instead to a filthy American corporation, rather than to our Australian farmers and producers?

Some here claim that all those farmers and food-producers would become unemployed - but why can't our farmers get organised and sell their produce independently of the Americans? I certainly would have liked to help them if they did so!

Snake. Most of the subjects posted here are heated topics, lots of opinions and button pushing. haha
Expression is good, I havent indulged in so much 'expression' before in my life.
I also wanted to refer to your comment on page 2, last friday. Loved it.
Your reality and truth so inspiring, Many would benefit from your words and qualities.