Letter to "The Australian" on 26th November,2009.
Australia is witnessing something that is as close as we (thankfully) get to a revolution. People power is on display! Whatever people believe about the underlying science of 'Climate Change', the vast majority of Australians now realise that they are to be hit with a tax ahead of countries like the US, India and China when we only contribute 1.5% of global emissions. The only reason we are proposing to inflict economic pain on ourselves before knowing what others may do (if anything), is so that PM Rudd can look good at Copenhagen. In resisting this nonsense, the good sense of the Australian public is once again on display.
29 November, 2009
28 November, 2009
Politics
On the 4th July, 2008 I sent the following email to my friend Malcolm Turnbull. I am tempted to say "I told you so"!
Dear Malcolm,
Listening to this morning's ABC Radio prompts me to 'write'. I have always had a predilection to telling other people, particularly politicians, how to do their jobs! Now that I don't have one myself (retired) I can further indulge myself in this annoying habit!
Murray-Darling
As a one time resident of S.A. I am acutely aware of the water hang-ups of the locals. If you live in the driest state in the driest continent and only have one decent river and you live on the rear (arse) end of that, you are sure to have a hang-up. Primary school children in Adelaide are taught that SA is discriminated against by those awful bastards upstream in Queensland, NSW (including the ACT) and Victoria who take all the water. The South Australians have, over the years, exploited this "I'm badly done by" attitude to the point that they have the best deal of all in the basin (have a look at their irrigation allocations in the last few years), pipe water all over the place and are quite profligate in its use.
The 'elephant in the room', which they never mention, are the barrages at the mouth of the river. Under natural conditions the water in the lower lakes varied from being salt to fresh depending on river flows. Once the barrages were built it became continually fresh and the expectation developed that there should always be sufficient fresh water from upstream to keep them high. The option of doing what would have happened under natural conditions and allow the salt water in, is never contemplated. Without this natural flushing it is no wonder the mouth of the Murray closes over more than it did under natural conditions.Most of the statements about the ecological collapse of the river refer to the lower lakes.
Against that backdrop, what a worry it is to have the key players in the debate now all S.A. based- Penny Wong, Mike Young and now Nick Xenothon!! I think Mike Young is quite right in saying that an absolute 'cap' figure is no way to manage a highly variable situation. We need to deal in shares of an ever moving total. However, he is quite wrong in never acknowledging the barrages issue and even suggesting that the massive evaporation of fresh water from the lower lakes should be a first call on the river.
Carbon Trading
It seems to me to be increasingly clear that the conventional wisdom is under very strong challenge. There has been no warming over the last ten years and the link between atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and warming is very weak. If there is a problem, if India and China and the rest of the developing world do nothing, what is the purpose of Australians being 'holier than thou' and inflicting economic pain for no measurable impact on the global position. I hope you have a chance to read Colin Robinson's paper that I emailed you yesterday.
My, ever humble, view is that Australia should do nothing in a regulatory sense and allow all those "virtuous greens" who apparently make up a significant part of our population, to act independently and freely! With all of the concerns about costs, particularly fuel costs, now might be the right time for the Opposition to really differentiate itself and take such a position. You might have a problem with Greg Hunt!
Dear Malcolm,
Listening to this morning's ABC Radio prompts me to 'write'. I have always had a predilection to telling other people, particularly politicians, how to do their jobs! Now that I don't have one myself (retired) I can further indulge myself in this annoying habit!
Murray-Darling
As a one time resident of S.A. I am acutely aware of the water hang-ups of the locals. If you live in the driest state in the driest continent and only have one decent river and you live on the rear (arse) end of that, you are sure to have a hang-up. Primary school children in Adelaide are taught that SA is discriminated against by those awful bastards upstream in Queensland, NSW (including the ACT) and Victoria who take all the water. The South Australians have, over the years, exploited this "I'm badly done by" attitude to the point that they have the best deal of all in the basin (have a look at their irrigation allocations in the last few years), pipe water all over the place and are quite profligate in its use.
The 'elephant in the room', which they never mention, are the barrages at the mouth of the river. Under natural conditions the water in the lower lakes varied from being salt to fresh depending on river flows. Once the barrages were built it became continually fresh and the expectation developed that there should always be sufficient fresh water from upstream to keep them high. The option of doing what would have happened under natural conditions and allow the salt water in, is never contemplated. Without this natural flushing it is no wonder the mouth of the Murray closes over more than it did under natural conditions.Most of the statements about the ecological collapse of the river refer to the lower lakes.
Against that backdrop, what a worry it is to have the key players in the debate now all S.A. based- Penny Wong, Mike Young and now Nick Xenothon!! I think Mike Young is quite right in saying that an absolute 'cap' figure is no way to manage a highly variable situation. We need to deal in shares of an ever moving total. However, he is quite wrong in never acknowledging the barrages issue and even suggesting that the massive evaporation of fresh water from the lower lakes should be a first call on the river.
Carbon Trading
It seems to me to be increasingly clear that the conventional wisdom is under very strong challenge. There has been no warming over the last ten years and the link between atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and warming is very weak. If there is a problem, if India and China and the rest of the developing world do nothing, what is the purpose of Australians being 'holier than thou' and inflicting economic pain for no measurable impact on the global position. I hope you have a chance to read Colin Robinson's paper that I emailed you yesterday.
My, ever humble, view is that Australia should do nothing in a regulatory sense and allow all those "virtuous greens" who apparently make up a significant part of our population, to act independently and freely! With all of the concerns about costs, particularly fuel costs, now might be the right time for the Opposition to really differentiate itself and take such a position. You might have a problem with Greg Hunt!
13 November, 2009
Al Gore and Global Warming
The truth is, evidence of man's impact on climate remains maddeningly elusive, in part because man's impact on climate is so small as to be hard to disentangle from natural variability. This is not Mr. Gore's position, of course. If anything, however, the case for action has become less closed since he pronounced it closed in 1989, if only because of the huge sums and manpower poured into the subject to little avail.
In retrospect, a significant moment was the falling apart or debunking of two key attempts seemingly well-suited to clinch matters for a scientifically literate public. One, the famous hockey stick graph, which suggested the temperature rise of the past 100 years was unprecedentedly steep, was convincingly challenged. The other, a mining of the geological record to show past episodes of warming were sharply coupled with rising CO2 levels, fell victim to a closer look that revealed that past warmings had preceded rather than followed higher CO2 levels.
These episodes from a decade ago testified to one important thing: Even climate activists recognized a need for evidence from the real world. The endless invocation of computer models wasn't cutting it. Yet today the same circles are more dependent than ever on predictions made by models, whose forecasts lie far enough in the future that those who rely on them to make policy prescriptions are in no danger of being held accountable for their reliability.
For a while the media could patch over the scientific shortfall by reporting evidence of warming as if it were evidence of what causes warming. Inconveniently, however, just as temperature-measuring has become more standardized and disciplined and less reliant on flaky records from the past (massaged to the Nth degree), the warming trend seems to have faded from the recent record.
We could go on. But from our first column on this subject, we have been convinced that the scientific questions are interesting and irrelevant, since it was never in the cards that Western societies (or Brazil or India or China) would sacrifice economic growth for the uncertain benefits of fighting climate change. Unable to do anything meaningful about climate change, policy would therefore default to satisfying the demand of organized interests for climate pork.
Isn't that, however much he may be distracted by feelings of sincerity, exactly the economic function of Mr. Gore today?
The Wall Street Journal November 12,2009
In retrospect, a significant moment was the falling apart or debunking of two key attempts seemingly well-suited to clinch matters for a scientifically literate public. One, the famous hockey stick graph, which suggested the temperature rise of the past 100 years was unprecedentedly steep, was convincingly challenged. The other, a mining of the geological record to show past episodes of warming were sharply coupled with rising CO2 levels, fell victim to a closer look that revealed that past warmings had preceded rather than followed higher CO2 levels.
These episodes from a decade ago testified to one important thing: Even climate activists recognized a need for evidence from the real world. The endless invocation of computer models wasn't cutting it. Yet today the same circles are more dependent than ever on predictions made by models, whose forecasts lie far enough in the future that those who rely on them to make policy prescriptions are in no danger of being held accountable for their reliability.
For a while the media could patch over the scientific shortfall by reporting evidence of warming as if it were evidence of what causes warming. Inconveniently, however, just as temperature-measuring has become more standardized and disciplined and less reliant on flaky records from the past (massaged to the Nth degree), the warming trend seems to have faded from the recent record.
We could go on. But from our first column on this subject, we have been convinced that the scientific questions are interesting and irrelevant, since it was never in the cards that Western societies (or Brazil or India or China) would sacrifice economic growth for the uncertain benefits of fighting climate change. Unable to do anything meaningful about climate change, policy would therefore default to satisfying the demand of organized interests for climate pork.
Isn't that, however much he may be distracted by feelings of sincerity, exactly the economic function of Mr. Gore today?
The Wall Street Journal November 12,2009
27 October, 2009
Irrigation Fundamentals
27.10.09
Irrigation Fundamentals
§ Buying irrigation licenses by the Federal Government will do nothing for our rivers, it will only limit agricultural production when water is plentiful.
§ Irrigation licenses grant the right to extract water only when allocations are made.
§ When water is short there are no, or very limited allocations.
§ Our rainfall (and run-off) is highly variable.
§ The answer to water shortages is to store more in times of plenty.
§ Storages need to be deep to minimise evaporation losses.
§ Valleys, in hilly country, make the most efficient storages.
§ Diversion of surplus flows from coastal flowing rivers through damming and tunnelling, would not only mitigate floods, but also provide additional water for food production.
§ Dams need to be engineered so as to allow smaller flows to pass.
§ They need to be “adaptively” managed in a flexible way, in line with our highly variable rainfall
David Boyd
Irrigation Fundamentals
§ Buying irrigation licenses by the Federal Government will do nothing for our rivers, it will only limit agricultural production when water is plentiful.
§ Irrigation licenses grant the right to extract water only when allocations are made.
§ When water is short there are no, or very limited allocations.
§ Our rainfall (and run-off) is highly variable.
§ The answer to water shortages is to store more in times of plenty.
§ Storages need to be deep to minimise evaporation losses.
§ Valleys, in hilly country, make the most efficient storages.
§ Diversion of surplus flows from coastal flowing rivers through damming and tunnelling, would not only mitigate floods, but also provide additional water for food production.
§ Dams need to be engineered so as to allow smaller flows to pass.
§ They need to be “adaptively” managed in a flexible way, in line with our highly variable rainfall
David Boyd
25 October, 2009
Speech At Opening Back o' Bourke Exhibition Centre-24.10.09
Salutations
I have been greatly looking forward to this day and congratulate all involved in getting this great Centre to where it now is.
I came to Bourke with Dalgety, as a fresh-faced eighteen year old, 50 years ago next August. I soon met a strong-willed, spirited young school leaver called Gail Dugan. There was great strength of spirit and character, and a certain Irish cussedness, not atypical in Bourke residents.
The old timers around here will tell you that not only was Gail very pretty, but she could run like the wind, having distinguished herself on the athletic field both at Bourke and at the All School Sports at Bathurst.
I chased her, on and off, for six years until she became my wife 43 years ago.
In the meantime she completed her nursing training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney with great distinction. She was top nurse at the Hospital and came third in the State in the final examinations. She is a better diagnostician than any doctors I know and has been a wonderful mother to our three surviving children. This allowed me to pursue my commercial career in which she gave me great support.
If you track back every branch of your family tree you will find that you have no less than eight great grand parents. In Gail’s case all of those great grand parents came from Bourke or Brewarrina. So, it is no exaggeration to say that I have lived with Bourke for the last 43 years!
When after 28 years with Dalgety, I joined the Swire Group as Managing Director of Clyde Agriculture, I found myself working with a company that had been founded in Bourke. We kept our operational headquarters here as the company grew to be one of the major agricultural companies in Australia with holdings spread from central Queensland to Coonamble and east to the New England.
Whenever Gail is asked where she was born and replies “Bourke” you can hear the retort coming “Oh….. Back o’ Bourke”.
The term must be as well known as “she’ll be right” and “’ow you goin’ ”.
With this expression welded into the Australian vernacular and with Bourke’s colourful history, the locals have demonstrated great initiative and judgement in capitalising on them and developing the concept and now the reality of the Back 0’ Bourke Exhibition Centre.
The term “back o’ Bourke” was coined by the Scottish poet Will Ogilvie in his poem “At the Back o’ Bourke”. Ogilvie spent twelve years in Australia from 1889 to 1901, much of it at Belalie Station and around Bourke generally. So he saw and wrote about the Great Flood in the Darling of 1890 (see the plaque on the Post Office which records the height in the main street) and he also saw and wrote of the Federation Drought. (Plenty of Climate Change in those days too-Minister).
Like Henry Lawson he was very aware of the massive seasonal contrasts of the Australian bush and the effect that these have on the character of its inhabitants. Lawson wrote much of mateship, perseverance, steadfastness, consistency, generosity of hearts, and straightness.
These characteristics have been to the fore in the development of this project, not least in the contribution of the volunteers.
They were characteristics greatly admired by the Late Edward Scott, Chairman of John Swire and Sons and Clyde Agriculture, Companies represented here today by the current Chairman of both-Bill Rothery.
Edward Scott with the backing of his shareholders-the Swire family- and with strong support from Doug Anthony, approved $400,000 as seed capital for the Back o’ Bourke Centre. Edward loved Bourke and it is fitting that his memorial rock and plaque are located here.
After the initial enthusiasm the project fell on hard times and for a while people wondered whether it would ever be completed. Then thanks to the establishment of the Darling Matilda Way Sustainable Region, by the Howard/Anderson Government and with significant assistance from then Mayor Wayne O’Mally, we were, able to garner an additional $3m., to complete the project.
John Anderson, as the then local member and Deputy Prime Minister, was central to the establishment of the Sustainable Region.
The Sustainable Regions programme was about using taxpayer’s funds to stimulate economic activity in areas assessed as being disadvantaged. I think it is now called “nation building”.
My Advisory Committee, of which your Shire General Manager and our M.C. here today, Geoff Wise, was a key member, quickly recognised that the name of the game was acting as a catalyst to establish businesses that offered ongoing employment-in other words it was all about long term jobs. In the remote areas of far western Queensland and far western NSW that we were responsible for, tourism was seen as a primary opportunity.
One of the real benefits of tourism projects is that they have a flow-on effect. For example, the Back o’ Bourke Centre has a positive impact on Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Longreach’s Stockmen’s Hall of Fame and vice versa. Many tourists travel to see the outback package. Furthermore, the economic impact flows beyond the specific tourism project itself, to all of the town’s service industries-accommodation, meals, fuel, etc. etc.
Bourke is quintessential inland Australia. It experiences the character building extremes of the Australian outback climate. It rolls with the punches, recognising that humans have no choice, but to adapt and respond to what nature deals out. Its people are resilient and its land has great recuperative power. It rewards those who are consistent and persistent.
Let me conclude by reading the last verse of Will Ogilvie’s “At The Back of Bourke”
“That’s where the wildest floods have birth
Out of the nakedest ends of Earth—
At the Back o’ Bourke
Where poor men lend and the rich ones borrow
It’s the bitterest land of sweat and sorrow—
But if I were free I’d be off tomorrow
Out to the Back o’ Bourke”!
David Boyd
24.10.09
I have been greatly looking forward to this day and congratulate all involved in getting this great Centre to where it now is.
I came to Bourke with Dalgety, as a fresh-faced eighteen year old, 50 years ago next August. I soon met a strong-willed, spirited young school leaver called Gail Dugan. There was great strength of spirit and character, and a certain Irish cussedness, not atypical in Bourke residents.
The old timers around here will tell you that not only was Gail very pretty, but she could run like the wind, having distinguished herself on the athletic field both at Bourke and at the All School Sports at Bathurst.
I chased her, on and off, for six years until she became my wife 43 years ago.
In the meantime she completed her nursing training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney with great distinction. She was top nurse at the Hospital and came third in the State in the final examinations. She is a better diagnostician than any doctors I know and has been a wonderful mother to our three surviving children. This allowed me to pursue my commercial career in which she gave me great support.
If you track back every branch of your family tree you will find that you have no less than eight great grand parents. In Gail’s case all of those great grand parents came from Bourke or Brewarrina. So, it is no exaggeration to say that I have lived with Bourke for the last 43 years!
When after 28 years with Dalgety, I joined the Swire Group as Managing Director of Clyde Agriculture, I found myself working with a company that had been founded in Bourke. We kept our operational headquarters here as the company grew to be one of the major agricultural companies in Australia with holdings spread from central Queensland to Coonamble and east to the New England.
Whenever Gail is asked where she was born and replies “Bourke” you can hear the retort coming “Oh….. Back o’ Bourke”.
The term must be as well known as “she’ll be right” and “’ow you goin’ ”.
With this expression welded into the Australian vernacular and with Bourke’s colourful history, the locals have demonstrated great initiative and judgement in capitalising on them and developing the concept and now the reality of the Back 0’ Bourke Exhibition Centre.
The term “back o’ Bourke” was coined by the Scottish poet Will Ogilvie in his poem “At the Back o’ Bourke”. Ogilvie spent twelve years in Australia from 1889 to 1901, much of it at Belalie Station and around Bourke generally. So he saw and wrote about the Great Flood in the Darling of 1890 (see the plaque on the Post Office which records the height in the main street) and he also saw and wrote of the Federation Drought. (Plenty of Climate Change in those days too-Minister).
Like Henry Lawson he was very aware of the massive seasonal contrasts of the Australian bush and the effect that these have on the character of its inhabitants. Lawson wrote much of mateship, perseverance, steadfastness, consistency, generosity of hearts, and straightness.
These characteristics have been to the fore in the development of this project, not least in the contribution of the volunteers.
They were characteristics greatly admired by the Late Edward Scott, Chairman of John Swire and Sons and Clyde Agriculture, Companies represented here today by the current Chairman of both-Bill Rothery.
Edward Scott with the backing of his shareholders-the Swire family- and with strong support from Doug Anthony, approved $400,000 as seed capital for the Back o’ Bourke Centre. Edward loved Bourke and it is fitting that his memorial rock and plaque are located here.
After the initial enthusiasm the project fell on hard times and for a while people wondered whether it would ever be completed. Then thanks to the establishment of the Darling Matilda Way Sustainable Region, by the Howard/Anderson Government and with significant assistance from then Mayor Wayne O’Mally, we were, able to garner an additional $3m., to complete the project.
John Anderson, as the then local member and Deputy Prime Minister, was central to the establishment of the Sustainable Region.
The Sustainable Regions programme was about using taxpayer’s funds to stimulate economic activity in areas assessed as being disadvantaged. I think it is now called “nation building”.
My Advisory Committee, of which your Shire General Manager and our M.C. here today, Geoff Wise, was a key member, quickly recognised that the name of the game was acting as a catalyst to establish businesses that offered ongoing employment-in other words it was all about long term jobs. In the remote areas of far western Queensland and far western NSW that we were responsible for, tourism was seen as a primary opportunity.
One of the real benefits of tourism projects is that they have a flow-on effect. For example, the Back o’ Bourke Centre has a positive impact on Charleville’s Cosmos Centre and Longreach’s Stockmen’s Hall of Fame and vice versa. Many tourists travel to see the outback package. Furthermore, the economic impact flows beyond the specific tourism project itself, to all of the town’s service industries-accommodation, meals, fuel, etc. etc.
Bourke is quintessential inland Australia. It experiences the character building extremes of the Australian outback climate. It rolls with the punches, recognising that humans have no choice, but to adapt and respond to what nature deals out. Its people are resilient and its land has great recuperative power. It rewards those who are consistent and persistent.
Let me conclude by reading the last verse of Will Ogilvie’s “At The Back of Bourke”
“That’s where the wildest floods have birth
Out of the nakedest ends of Earth—
At the Back o’ Bourke
Where poor men lend and the rich ones borrow
It’s the bitterest land of sweat and sorrow—
But if I were free I’d be off tomorrow
Out to the Back o’ Bourke”!
David Boyd
24.10.09
12 October, 2009
Wool Production-Conflicting Trends
27th October,2009
Australian Wool Production
or Wool ‘Aint’ Wool- A Commentary by David Boyd
The huge drop in total wool production has masked a massive increase in the production of finer wools.
Over the years knowledgeable commentators have warned about the dangers of addressing wool issues in aggregated terms. The huge spectrum of wool types from coarse carpet making types to silk-like, soft, up-market superfine wools and everything in between, highlights the extent of the range.
This truism is again highlighted by an analysis of movements in production since the most recent peak in total production in 1989/90.
In aggregate terms, in the nineteen years from 1989/90 to 2008/9, total production of merino fleece has dropped by no less than 63%! Or in other words production in 1989/90 was 167% greater than it was in 2008/9.
Yet, within this aggregate, over the same period, production of fleece wools of 19.5 micron and finer have actually increased by 243%. You might well ask how can this be?
First, wools in the 23/24/25 micron band have almost disappeared, with production dropping by 95%. Second, for wools in the middle microns (20/21/22) production has dropped by 54%.
It can be asserted that this movement towards finer wools represents a highly economically rational response by Australia’s woolgrowers as they move production in response to price signals and the premiums attracted by finer wools. This assumes that these premiums can be achieved without a loss of weight (cut per head) that negates the finer wool price premium. This becomes even more relevant given the importance of sheep meat returns and the correlation between carcass weight and wool cuts.
I think the weight of evidence would suggest that notwithstanding all the “bad-mouthing” of the industry, Australia’s woolgrowers are not stupid and this movement reflects well on the flexibility and responsiveness of the industry.
Whilst I have seen no objective evidence, observation would suggest to me that our stud breeders have done a great job in scaling up the size of finer wool sheep on the one hand and lowering the micron of our stronger wool sheep without a commensurate loss of frame or wool cut.
There is, of course another factor at play. These years have seen some very severe drought in much of the production area, albeit at differing times in different areas. There is no doubt that there is a strong correlation between fineness of fibre and nutrition. We really do not know how much of this ‘fining-up’ is due to genetics and how much to nutrition (“hungry-fine”). In addition, a lot of country in the far west of NSW that once produced stronger merino wools, has now been converted to Dorpers, Damaras and goat production.
Whilst growers have lamented the level of wool prices, the fact remains that there continues to be a price premium for finer wools notwithstanding the massive increase in production and there has been no positive price response to the dramatic drop in production at the stronger end. There seems little doubt what the market is telling us at that end of the micron range.
However, at the finer end it could well be argued that the market has held up remarkably well in the face of the massive increase in production.
(I am indebted to AWEX for the provision of the relevant statistics)
Link: Statistics,table and graph.
Australian Wool Production
or Wool ‘Aint’ Wool- A Commentary by David Boyd
The huge drop in total wool production has masked a massive increase in the production of finer wools.
Over the years knowledgeable commentators have warned about the dangers of addressing wool issues in aggregated terms. The huge spectrum of wool types from coarse carpet making types to silk-like, soft, up-market superfine wools and everything in between, highlights the extent of the range.
This truism is again highlighted by an analysis of movements in production since the most recent peak in total production in 1989/90.
In aggregate terms, in the nineteen years from 1989/90 to 2008/9, total production of merino fleece has dropped by no less than 63%! Or in other words production in 1989/90 was 167% greater than it was in 2008/9.
Yet, within this aggregate, over the same period, production of fleece wools of 19.5 micron and finer have actually increased by 243%. You might well ask how can this be?
First, wools in the 23/24/25 micron band have almost disappeared, with production dropping by 95%. Second, for wools in the middle microns (20/21/22) production has dropped by 54%.
It can be asserted that this movement towards finer wools represents a highly economically rational response by Australia’s woolgrowers as they move production in response to price signals and the premiums attracted by finer wools. This assumes that these premiums can be achieved without a loss of weight (cut per head) that negates the finer wool price premium. This becomes even more relevant given the importance of sheep meat returns and the correlation between carcass weight and wool cuts.
I think the weight of evidence would suggest that notwithstanding all the “bad-mouthing” of the industry, Australia’s woolgrowers are not stupid and this movement reflects well on the flexibility and responsiveness of the industry.
Whilst I have seen no objective evidence, observation would suggest to me that our stud breeders have done a great job in scaling up the size of finer wool sheep on the one hand and lowering the micron of our stronger wool sheep without a commensurate loss of frame or wool cut.
There is, of course another factor at play. These years have seen some very severe drought in much of the production area, albeit at differing times in different areas. There is no doubt that there is a strong correlation between fineness of fibre and nutrition. We really do not know how much of this ‘fining-up’ is due to genetics and how much to nutrition (“hungry-fine”). In addition, a lot of country in the far west of NSW that once produced stronger merino wools, has now been converted to Dorpers, Damaras and goat production.
Whilst growers have lamented the level of wool prices, the fact remains that there continues to be a price premium for finer wools notwithstanding the massive increase in production and there has been no positive price response to the dramatic drop in production at the stronger end. There seems little doubt what the market is telling us at that end of the micron range.
However, at the finer end it could well be argued that the market has held up remarkably well in the face of the massive increase in production.
(I am indebted to AWEX for the provision of the relevant statistics)
Link: Statistics,table and graph.
01 October, 2009
Climate Change
Letter sent to Sydney Morning Herald 01.10.09
Malcolm Turnbull faces the classic politician's dilemma. Do I respond to public opinion, however misinformed, or do I act proactively, demonstrate real leadership and risk my party going down in the process?
Once again Senator Ron Boswell, with support from Senator Barnaby Joyce, has chosen the leadership route.
Consider this-
The link between anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (in particular) and atmospheric warming is far from proven, in fact it appears disproven. The science is NOT settled.
The very name CARBON POLLUTION REDUCTION SCHEME (CPRS) is at best misleading. Carbon is not a pollutant, but an essential part of life.
Even if both these assertions are wrong, if Australia stopped all of its emissions immediately the effect would be negligible. So why should we impose the admitted damage to our economy and our global competitiveness, for negligible global benefit, when it appears the major emitters are likely to do very little. We should certainly wait and see what the majors do before acting.
Malcolm Turnbull faces the classic politician's dilemma. Do I respond to public opinion, however misinformed, or do I act proactively, demonstrate real leadership and risk my party going down in the process?
Once again Senator Ron Boswell, with support from Senator Barnaby Joyce, has chosen the leadership route.
Consider this-
The link between anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (in particular) and atmospheric warming is far from proven, in fact it appears disproven. The science is NOT settled.
The very name CARBON POLLUTION REDUCTION SCHEME (CPRS) is at best misleading. Carbon is not a pollutant, but an essential part of life.
Even if both these assertions are wrong, if Australia stopped all of its emissions immediately the effect would be negligible. So why should we impose the admitted damage to our economy and our global competitiveness, for negligible global benefit, when it appears the major emitters are likely to do very little. We should certainly wait and see what the majors do before acting.
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