A new Meeting place for the people of Ntandire in Malawi

The next project for the Malawi Support Group are to be building works at Ntandire for a church and hall in shantytown.

The Photos taken on the 10th December are reflective celebrations of a people overjoyed at the prospect of having somwhere to meet.

 

Victorias Fiery Summer

Melbourne awakens to an eerie new day
Fiery red Sun through smoky grey haze
Feels like evening as sun seeks its rest
Dust of a landscape signals rain its request

Bush fires in our country unlike any other
Fed by a drought of an endless dry summer
Dry fuel and air as soil has no moisture
Fight fires in vain best just to contain her

Melancholy thoughts of dim days of our past
Black Friday and Ash Wednesday I pray be our last
Volunteer fire fighters can’t see through the smoke
Brave and determined they’re just ordinary blokes

Smoky conditions will drag on with the drought
Summer continues as towns wait in a fright
The rains we seek quench my country I cry
Rains in dreamtime as smoke blots out the sky

Perth to Freemantle

Recently I travelled on business to Adelaide and then to Perth. During my stay in Perth I took the boat trip to Fremantle.

The first photo shows the Perth city skyline journeying along the Swan River on the way to Fremantle.

Fremantle was once the western gateway to Australia, as millions of migrants arrived by ship prior to modern day jet aircraft. It remains a popular tourist destination, at the mouth of the Swan River and renowned for its feeling of tranquillity with streets graced by old worldly historic buildings which I have attempted to capture in the photographs.

In 1987 it leapt to prominence as a port City when it hosted the Australian defence of the America's Cup. Perth's isolation can be ascertained by the length of the return flight to Melbourne, it takes nearly 3hours continuos flying in a Boeing Jumbo 747. It is the most isolated City of any country on earth.

Little wonder then its residents have been known to sarcastically refer to certain visitors as “ The Wise Men from the East”.

Life’s Mystique

I recall days of sweaty hands
Struggles meeting business plans
Awaken to my daily fears
Ask for help from far off spheres

Journeys now on familiar soil
Needs no longer an ancient foil
Sap of life flows to life’s new leaf
Reverence for life, my own belief

Hills like mountains catch my breath
Winds of change seek nature’s wealth
Random thoughts are life’s myst’ry
Will we learn from earth’s history

China’s Sustainable Urban development

China has been an engine room to the world’s economy with annualised growth rates exceeding 10 % over the past decade. Despite this growth nearly 50% of its population remain as peasant farmers on very small incomes. But that aspect is changing rapidly as agriculture becomes more productive and is accompanied by a huge migration of workers to the cities. As china has a population of 1.3 billion we are indeed fortunate she does not consume in the same unsustainable manner as the westernised advanced economies, for if that was the case we would need another 3 universes to meet her requirements. Hopefully China will not follow this disastrous route. Even so the accelerated effect can be gauged by the daily increase in motor vehicles with 55,000 new licences issued every day!!

China currently has engaged a number of world experts on urban planning to assist with a project to construct 300 new sustainable cities. Each to house over 1 million citizens, ensuring all are self sufficient and sustainable, with no need for cars.

Click here to read about China’s sustainable urban development

Melbourne Cup Party

My winning hat
The winning lady's hat
More hats
My wifes hat

The early morning promised a fine sunny day for staging of the Melbourne Cup before a change from a cool southerly breeze. Bookmakers breathed a collective sign of relief to see Japanese winner Delta Blue @16/1 win by a short nose from its more favoured stable mate Pop Rock, with the Australian horse (aptly named Maybe Better) running a distant 3rd. The $5.3 million Melbourne Cup enters a new era with renewed interest from Japan.

Race day stops a nation. Wherever you are everyone stops to listen to the great race. Maybe next year it will stop 2 nations. Although the spring racing carnival attracts record crowds, 130,000 this year at "Derby Day" and another 107,000 for the Melbourne Cup, most folk like me watch the races from TV. This year we watched the great race from the comfort of a friend’s house where they hosted a Melbourne Cup party.

We enjoyed wonderful hospitality and our hosts added prizes for the best ladies and men’s hats. Yours truly won the best men's hat which was designed by my wife. I have included pictures of the winning lady's hat along with my wife and friends, dressed in sartorial splendour!!

Howard’s wayward way.

Over the past 10 years the Federal Government under Prime Minister John Howard and respective State Labour premiers have largely ignored warnings on global climatic warming. Although numerous comprehensive reports warned of the impending consequences (more particularly to Australia, the driest continent on earth) few initatives have been undertaken as the authors conclusions have been largely dismissed as scaremongering.

It has been disappointing and frustrating for our eminent Scientists working at the Government funded Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to realise their reports were ignored by the government. In fact it was reported pressure was applied in the form of the possible loss of goverment research funding should they pursue unpopular conclusions on the threat of global warming. click here to visit.

The Government sided with our ally the USA, with both countries refusing to sign the Kyoto protocol, arguing any mandated reductions would harm their respective economies. Howard appears to have recently softened his hard nosed approach, when announcing assistance for several solar and carbon capturing initiatives. The Victorian Premier recently also confirmed financial assistance for a wind farming project.

However these projects will not have any major impact in the near future and we are a long way away from an integrated sustainable clean energy solution. In the bigger picture I dont think much has changed as political scepticism remains.

I think a carbon trading system is vital to ensure we have an immediate large scale industry response to reduce emissions. The imposition of a tax on carbon emissions creates an immeadite cost to industry and trading emissions allows polluters to purchase credits from others who have surplus requirements. Because of the increased cost to industry of emissions you stimulate conservation and investment in technologies to reduce emissions. Alternative cleaner energy sources previously too costly become viable. This will also have a substantial effect on farming, towards sustainability. Emission trading was recommended in the recent Stern Report commissioned by the UK government.

Howard was quick to warn we should not place too much faith in the findings of the Stern Report, rejecting the idea of an emissions trading system on the basis it will harm our industries unless all countries sign up concurrently.

In the Financial Review of the 2nd November 2006 Professor Warwick McKibbin was reported as saying “You need to start at the national level and move out from there”. And he disputed Mr Howard’s central argument that establishing a national emissions trading scheme in the absence of a global agreement including all major emitters would force investment jobs off shore. Professor McKibbin said his own national emissions trading model would make Australia a very attractive investment destination.

Click here for his website.

We are light years away from the UK economy which at least has made a start with large scale targeted emission reductions. Australia remains a laggard and pro rata to population one of the heaviest polluters in the world, apart from the USA. Once again it seems likely we will do nothing, under the leadership of our conservative government.

A fair day’s work for a fair days pay.

I think it’s somewhat refreshing that the newly formed “Australian Fair Pay Commission” decided to increase the minimum wage by 5.65% or $27.36 per week for the 1 million lowest paid employees in Australia, those employees who earn less than $700 per week.

The Australian Fair Pay Commission was recently established to set and maintain a federal minimum wage that will promote the economic prosperity of the people of Australia under the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005.

Chairman Professor Ian Harper came to the Commission with very strong economic credentials, but also possessing equal doses of compassion and integrity. Together with his fellow Commissioners he has presided over a decision in stark contrast to the submissions from Government and Industry groups for a minimal increase. These submissions argued the increase recommended by the Australian Council of Trade Unions of $30 per week would be irresponsible, leading to widespread unemployment and inflation. Whilst the Commission acknowledge a nexus between wage rates and employment it nevertheless on balance rejected theses arguments and granted a $27 increase.
I agree with the Commission. Economic outcomes need to be balanced with principles of fairness and integrity by providing protection to lower paid workers. The idea that such decisions will lead to 300,000 job losses and widespread inflation is a highly fanciful notion based upon flawed economic analysis. It all boils down to common sense, that is to say a fair day’s work for a fair days pay for those of minimal bargaining power in a democracy.

Drought

Australia is currently in the grip of the worst drought ever faced. The current El Nino weather pattern ensures the dry conditions will continue as we experience much lower than normal rains. Longer term the prognosis remains clouded. Some assert this drought is a natural part of our landscape whilst others contend drier conditions represent the flow on effects of global warming.

Barry Hanstrom, NSW regional director of the Bureau of Meteorology is concerned: The evidence for climate change is compelling, in several examples of that across Australia. The fact is that south-west Western Australia since the 70s has dropped almost 20 per cent. The last 10 years in south-eastern Australia the rainfall's down 10 to 20 per cent. 2005 was the warmest year ever recorded in Australia, so there are strong indications, both with rainfall and temperature across Australia that the climate is changing.

The current position means crops like wheat and barley are likely to yield at most 30% of last year and the effect to country areas is devastating. Increased suicides and depression arise with Rural Councillors streched to the limit, but notwithstanding most remain focused to change what they can for the better, to stay positive and look forward to next years season.It’s also hard for city folk to imagine the devastation of a crippling drought in country towns.

The response of the Government was to announce an extra $350 million for farmers and to confirm they are considering a further $400 million, having already spent $1.25 billion on needy 50,000 farming families since 2001.

The basis of this relief is “exceptional circumstances” since normal drought is expected to be managed by farmers.

Water scientist Professor Peter Cullen, has been quoted has suggested such aid only prolongs producers struggling on land no longer sustainable. Clive Hamilton from the Australia Institute was quoted as saying “Farmers shouldn't be getting assistance; they should be leaving the land when it's like this?”

The debate has raged, as if fanned by our recent hot northerly winds, the familiar smell of smoke from earlier tham expected bush fires.

Our Prime Minister commented.

Well, I reject that completely. I reject it. I mean, the basis of his argument is that in some way the payments farmers receive under Exceptional Circumstances represent us paying people to stay on the land. I think that would come as a great surprise to farmers, who know that the Exceptional Circumstances gives them the equivalent of the dole and provides some interest rate subsidies. And that's hardly paying people to stay on the land. "It is, in many cases, paying people to put some food on the table. It's a very unrealistic attitude for people to take. We are not a country that pays people to stay on the land. We're a country that gives people who want to stay on the land support to survive through desperate drought circumstances, and that's what we're living through at the present time. So I reject completely the argument that this drought assistance is, quote, 'paying to keep people on the land', unquote.


It’s a complex situation but I feel the current position is not enhanced by the current aid programme. Consider the value of rural land in Australia and indeed in many parts of the western world and why it is is vastly overpriced. This is a consequence of continued income support to farmers over successive frequent droughts that ensures the price of land reamains unrealistically high. Overseas huge subsidies paid to farmers inflate the value of the land.

Rural land in Australia has appreciated in real terms around 5-6%, thats 5-6 % above the rate of inflation over the past 20 years, putting undue pressure to obtain a commensurate improved return.

I also think Australian farmers are the most efficient in the world and most are responsible environmentalists who do a magnificent job looking after the land for future generations. During dire times such as we are currently experiencing they immediately begin de stocking and mitigating the effect of drought,in other words caring for the land. Many are debt free 3rd generation farmers whose reserves and or alternative incomes tide then through these most difficult of times.

What I favour as an alternative to income support is government assistance in the form of interest free loans, made during such times but to be repaid during good seasons. I think most farmers would prefer a loan to income support schemes, which is nothing more than a handout.

I also think additionally its worth considering a heritage type annual payment, in recognition of the Farmer custodian role of looking the land, that's on on our behalf to preserve it for future generations.

On the longer terms I believe the current exceptional circumstances will not be so exceptional in years to come, but I also believe the Australians farmers will adapt and cotinine to preserve the land for future generations in a sustainable way. That means much more diversity for Farms, a sole farming income will be unsustainable, and other income streams will need to be added for it to be viable overall as we experience drier conditions. This is already occurring to a marked degree and will accelerate in the near future. In effect it will be engaging of country and the city, with new industries such as echo tourism, as it always could have been. The dichotomy or tension between country and city, farming and non framing and or industry need not exist at all as we are all co dependant upon one to another.

In fact I think it wil be true for most countries the world over. The pooling of skils and sharing between communities, that is between country and city, allows us us to learn together as to how to be sustainable, in partnership with nature. It's how we evolved and its how we will survive the future.