DROUGHT  GENERAL COMMENTS FACT:   Australia is largely a drought prone arid country that with the effects of global warming will become worst.  Even now, the requirements of drought effected areas assume the logistics of a military operation, yet in spite of Prime Minister Rudd's huffing and puffing no such national infrastructure exists to cope with a problem that has plagued the nation since its birth. Ask yourself, how much has Australia lost to drought in the last one hundred years? The conquest of the demon drought will go a long way to restoring the prosperity of regional centers and infrastructure across Australia. GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) is determined to conquer this problem. Loss of stock (sale and breeding) through drought is the greatest cause of failure in the livestock industry. It costs livestock farmers and the community dearly.  GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) plans to eliminate this loss - see below. Drought caused crop failure over successive years is the greatest factor in wheat farming failures. GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) proposes to set in place realistic legislation and a national infrastructure to provide on time and adequate drought relief to viable farmers by:     a.    Maintaining a computer linked real time national register of all livestock, crops, feed and water showing the            status of every participating farmer in the nation at any given time and predicting future trends.            This is a part of GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA 'S) rural plan for SMART FARMING.     b.    Identifying long term non viable properties so that merger or an exit strategy can be formulated before they            go bankrupt.     c.    Automatic early warning drought effected area predictors and strategic planning.     d.    Planning and Logistics for drought effected areas including private enterprise, defense force and bank            involvement in long term strategies to enable viable livestock producers to maintain their stock levels and not            be driven off the land.     e.    Planning and Logistics for drought effected areas including bank involvement in long term            strategies to enable viable wheat farmers to be funded over successive bad years.     f.     An equitable recoupment methodology whereby funds outlayed by banks and private investors may be           recouped, without selling the farm!     g.   Long term strategies to change the climate of Australia by regenerating and expanding the forest areas that           once covered vast tracts of the continent.  Before you laugh see the section on FORESTS. HEAVY ENGINEERING PROJECTS GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will re-examine various proposals and alternatives for long distance water pipelines from the north of Australia. THE CHALLENGE FOR AGRICULTURISTS (Repeated from the section on AGRICULTURE) 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.   What are the solutions? GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) will return services to rural Australia by:     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).     c.  Encouraging city based businesses to open branches in rural areas.     d.  Encouraging and assisting farmers to diversify and build links and associations with city based businesses         to sell some of their output directly. 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 the Liberals 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. Areas of interest to GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) include:     a.  Formulation and rapid implementation of a plan to increase and improve rural biodiversity.          See also Zoos and Megaflauna Parks     b.  Land, water, salinity and biodiversity management to be under a revamped Environment portfolio.     c   Incentives for rural Medical and health care practitioners.     d.  Education specialists.     e.  Rural access to the same free to air and pay TV television services as the cities.     f.   Extension of all forms of technology to the bush to improve employment opportunities.     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 (AUSTRALIA) 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 to combat salinity.  The massive damage to agricultural         lands caused by decades of ignorance and greed will rapidly be repaired. GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA)         will undertake massive,  well funded, expertly pre planned, tree planting programs across the nation.       Priority areas for planting and reforestation  will be determined by government and agricultural stockholders with         a view to maximising regrowth, sustainability and production of useful biodiverse future resources.     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. The elimination of all introduced feral animals (cane toads, rabbits, foxes, feral cats) in rural areas is a priority.     n.  The re-introduction of native animals into their restored natural habitat.     n.  The artificial introduction and use of growth hormones in the food chain is of major concern to GLOBAL ACTION         and will be the subject of close scrutiny, with a view to totally banning their use if they are shown to be harmful.     o.  Sustainable organic farming methods are to be preferred over systems that degrade rural Australia.     p.  The culling of native animal species will not be encouraged except in 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.     r.  Advances in the field of nanotechnology and the effects of this emerging science upon food chains and the         rural environment will be closely followed with a view to pressing for timely legislation to govern the direction         and safe handling of new developments. CLIMATE CHANGE The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 in Johannesburg clearly illustrated the gulf between rich and poor nations and people.  In addition it highlighted inaction  - in spite of all the lofty speeches and high ideals. GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA) is about ACTION! World best information indicates that due mainly to global warming long term climate change is upon us. The difficulty lies in predicting exactly how and to what extent this may influence natural biodiversity and the economic viability of Australian agricultural lands.  This is a worldwide problem and GLOBAL ACTION sees Australia as an integral part of the solution.  Only by attacking the problems HEAD ON and grasping the opportunities highlighted above will it be solved. SALINITY One of the greatest threats to the land area of Australia is salinity.  For more on salinity see FORESTS. RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR RURAL APPLICATIONS GLOBAL ACTION (AUSTRALIA)  supports the development of pollution free infinitely renewable GEOTHERMAL ENERGY. For more details CLICK BELOW. ALSO SEE      AGRICULTURE   BIODIVERSITY     POPULATION     CONSERVATION    ENVIRONMENT FORESTS     GREEN ISSUES GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK  issues@globalactint.com JOIN GLOBAL ACTION DONATE NOW TO GLOBAL ACTION

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