Global Action

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) supports a dynamic healthy balance between profitable agricultural sector growth and genuine, verifiable, long term ecological sustainability. The negative physical effects of European style farming methods on Australian ecosystems is beyond dispute and if allowed to continue will produce similar results to the ancient Roman farming methods in North Africa - our wheat growing lands will become useless unproductive deserts and salt pans. Fact: Instead of being a world food bowl Australia will SOON become an eroded dust bowl.

Rural Australia is dying! Infrastructure is being withdrawn and centralised leaving smaller or remote communities with restricted or no services. The land is degrading though nutrient loss, declining rainfall patterns, salinity, erosion, acidification and loss of native vegetation. The problems are clear to all who live on the land.

a. Encouraging and if necessary legislating banks, postal services and major telecommunications providers back
into designated rural areas and demanding that they provide services equal to those in larger population centers.

    b. Implementing a comprehensive Rural Development scheme that takes into account exactly what the rural
        sector needs to enable it to sustainably grow (in addition to the provision of strong development, tax, fuel
        and other incentives).

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) supports and will fight for the rights of all Australian farmers, be they in wheat, sheep, dairy, fruit and grape growing or any other sector of the rural industry. We refuse to allow governments of any complexion, banks, bureaucracy or big business to destroy the livelihood of our farmers and their families.

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will campaign against sub-standard foreign imports that threaten the viability of our primary industries AND THE HEALTH OF OUR NATION.

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will strive for accurate and effective AUSTRALIAN MADE/MADE IN AUSTRALIA product labeling and quality control through new state and federal legislation that has teeth. Labels stating that product is of Australian and foreign origins will be banned and all labels will be required to state from whence all edible contents and packaging came. Not only will this protect Australian producers, but it will also clearly expose the CARBON FOOTPRINT of imported materials.

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will pressure and if need be legislate to force the large supermarket chains to "buy Australian" as a first option. The days of these corporate highwaymen being able to dictate to our primary producers and manufacturers are numbered if you support GLOBAL ACTION!

GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) offers a new direction in farming and agriculture SMART FARMING! By this we mean applying the latest in farming technology and scientific knowledge in a responsible, sustainable, earth and people friendly way to increase agricultural viability.

While we acknowledge the good intentions of The Greens and reject the profit and economic rationalism at any cost policies of other parties we do appreciate that the aim of the agricultural industry is to prosper and grow. GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) is about growth SUSTAINABILITY and repairing the damage already done.

a. Formulation and rapid implementation of a plan to increase and improve rural biodiversity.

b. Land, water and biodiversity management to be under a revamped Environment portfolio.

e. Extension of all possible forms of technology to the bush to improve employment opportunities.

f. Rural access to the same free to air and pay TV television services as the cities.

g. Increase in Rural interest television programming. Especially educationally beneficial material.

    h. Genetically modified foods. On the one hand it is already far too late to stop GM species when many are
         already in the ground. On the other the development of new GM species will never be stopped.
        GLOBAL ACTION therefore proposes the strictest controls on a GM technology at the laboratory stage and the
        closest monitoring of introduced GM product with legislation in place to cover the future liability of the creators
        of new GM species in the event of catastrophic consequences to the health of people, animals, other
        vegetation, water and land.

   i.   Tree planting and reforestation - a national initiative. The massive damage to agricultural
        lands caused by decades of ignorance and greed must rapidly be repaired.
        GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will undertake massive, well funded, pre planned, tree planting programs
        across the nation.
        Priority areas for planting and reforestation will be determined by government and agricultural stake holders with
        a view to maximizing regrowth, sustainability and production of useful biodiverse future resources as well
        as addressing the looming Global Warming/CO2 issue.

j. The provision of corridors, windbreaks, and shade areas on all farming land will become mandatory.

k. The protection of existing biodiversity and regeneration of degraded natural areas is a priority.

l. The encouragement of and enhancement of biodiversity in all agricultural crops is a priority.

m. A massive reduction in or elimination of introduced feral animals (rabbits, foxes, feral cats) in rural areas is a priority.

    n. The artificial introduction and use of growth hormones in the food chain is of major concern to GLOBAL ACTION
        (AUSTRALIA) and will be the subject of close scrutiny, with a view to totally banning their use if they are shown
        to be harmful.

o. Where possible sustainable organic farming methods are to be preferred over systems that further degrade
rural Australia.

p. The culling of native animal species will not be encouraged except in the extreme circumstances such as
demonstrated overpopulation, serious land degradation, or in the prevention of the spread of disease.

q. The use of antibiotics will be strictly regulated and regulation will be enforced.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 in Johannesburg was probabaly the first of its kind to clearly illustrate the gulf between rich and poor nations and people. In addition it highlighted inaction - in spite of all the lofty speeches and high ideals. Not a lot has changed since then!

Technological breakthroughs in this new frontier of science bring forth the potential for enormous human gain, but also potential catastrophe, on a scale far greater than anything envisioned at the dawn of the nuclear age. The timely legal regulation of the this emerging science, the need for mandatory and open disclosure of such discoveries and how these technologies are quantified, described, tested and brought safely to the market is crucial.

GLOBAL ACTION encourages responsible new science, respects the rights of patent owners and demands that knowledge so protected must be made available under reasonable conditions by the owners to all of humanity. Both the rights of the patent holder to guard against theft of their properly registered properties and the rights of the world to enjoy the fruits of new discoveries must be balanced and protected. Global Action (as a political umpire) will demand honesty and transparency from all parties participating in the development and distribution of these new technologies and to this end will push all regulatory authorities to keep legislation and lawmaking in touch with the cutting edge. See: http://www.etcgroup.org