The Minister for Mines, NOT primary industries

 It’s official. The allegedly schizophrenic Minister for Primary Industries and Mining is no longer stuck between a piece of corn and a hard piece of coal. Ian Macdonald is not even pretending to do anything positive to support food production in this country any more. As far as he is concerned, mining comes first and he is only now wearing one hat, that of Minister for Mines.

As the Australian newspaper reported on the 27th of May, even Judge Tobias of the Supreme Court was surprised. [By the time judges get to the Supreme Court they’ve usually seen enough government shenanigans to be shock proof] The Judge was moved enough to say he faced “ the odd situation of a minister giving away to another minister his powers”. Yes, the Minister for Mines gladly gave up his responsibilities to farmers and landowners in favour of that champion of corporate rights, Planning Minister Sartor, and his dictatorial part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. Part 3A effectively says people, the land, the water supplies, our food and democratic rights no longer matter, only company profits and government royalties do.

It’s time we, the people, said: ENOUGH.