Labor's Concern For Australian Food & Fibre Producers Goes Bush

2nd June 2009

I condemned the Rudd Labor Government for diverting Australian taxpayer’s funds from Australian needs to use the money to shore up African support in the United Nations for a seat on the organisation’s Security Council.

At a time when many of our primary producers are struggling to stay on their farms when faced by drought and increased imports , not to mention the estimated $60 Billion annual deficit provided by Mr.Swan, it is nothing short of obscene for Mr.Rudd to be playing politics with our taxes.

The role played by our nation’s primary producers in the area of export revenue and the provision of jobs in regional Australia is invaluable. Australian taxation must be used to provide for the critical needs of our country-health, education, pensions for the elderly and infrastructure.

For the Labor government to slash $60 million from the agriculture Budget while boosting foreign aid to 4 African nations to the tune of $464 million is economic lunacy in today’s financial climate. When one considers the timing of this increase when added to our Governor General’s recent 3 week, 10 African nation tour, Australians have every reason to suspect the motives of this government.

It is no secret the government desires a return to a seat on the UN Security Council, but while Rudd plays international politics our nation’s debt continues to climb, our pensioners and farmers continue to struggle and the Murray continues to die.