A reclaimed swamp for a city you say?

Overpopulation and over-stretched infrastructure in the SE corner of Queensland.

Cheap land, the white shoe brigade, Chinese money and Labor politicians.

Yes Bazz if we get to that stage, but by then they will possibly just be taking it if they can.

It really is a change in the economy thing. 40 years ago the average Ozzy worker spent over 30% of their gross income on food. It was 30% food, 30% housing 10% tax, & the rest on medical clothing etc.

Today it's 30% tax 10% GST tax, 40% housing leaving not all that much for food, after running a couple of cars. Most expect to feed a family on less than 20% of their net.

The poor fool farmer has had to produce hugely increased quantities of produce, just to survive. The old wheat farmer, with a couple of draft horses could farm about 15 to 20 acres, & easily supported his family.

Today he has to own $1.5 million worth of tractors, harvesters & all the other gear, & farm 600 or 700 acres at a minimum to support that same family. Labour costs are such that he has to do all this with perhaps some family help, as he is competing with 3rd world labour costs.

Even when the product can afford it's costs, people won't do the work. My turf farmer mate could not get anyone to work for $1000 a week. He had to pay dole bludgers cash in hand to do even a day or two. Another neighbour set up a large hydroponic lettuce farm. After 3 months none of the locals would do the work, even the cash in hand bludgers reckoned it was too hard.

The family would be there until late every night packing tomorrows deliveries. The returns were good, but they couldn't hack the work load. He gave up after about 15 months.

Continued

Continued.

Yes we need someone to do it, but unless we will pay twice the price for food, expect less to be produced here, with even more to be imported, & of doubtful quality.

I always wanted to breed cattle & horses, ever since I was a kid. I even tried it with cattle about 28 years ago. I damn soon scuttled back into industry once the real economics of doing it became clear. It is a damn sight easier & better paid, running a factory, than running cattle, believe me.

Actually Hasbeen, you have touched the crux of the matter.
I saw some figures a long while ago about how much land one farmer
could plough, till & harvest in a day with a horse or a tractor.
I think it was 100 to one if I remember correctly.

What it boils down to we will either run farms on electricity or horses.
Either way it is going to make food very much more expensive.
The problem is that the politicians do not understand that the economic
arrangement we now have is up for a major rebuild.
This long term low to zero growth we are now seeing is permanent.

Until the pollies, who after all control forward planning, understand
that then we will just have muddle after muddle.