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CRAIG COMMENTS |
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5/6/02
Several incidents occurred during 2002 that highlight the hazards that confront
farmers. In the western district, 250,000 hens had to be destroyed because of
an outbreak of Newcastle disease, a virulent disease of poultry. Simultaneously,
in northern Victoria, there was an outbreak of anthrax among cattle, and suggestions
that tuberculosis had recurred. Locally, there was the disastrous loss of dairy
cattle from fungal contamination. These events, occurring almost simultaneously,
highlighted the shortage of veterinarian services throughout the country.
By its very isolation, Australia was free of many terrible scourges and the
slowness of travel up until the second half of the twentieth century helped
to keep them at bay. With the massive growth in international travel, Australia’s
freedom from these diseases can be kept in check only with the constant surveillance
of qualified veterinarians. If the much-feared foot and mouth, or any one of
a number of other exotic diseases should find its way into this country, it
must be questioned whether we have the veterinarians to deal with it. An important
reason to stop illegal entry to Australia is the danger of importing exotic
diseases of this kind. To maintain our status as free of these diseases, it
is vital that all migrants be required to pass through proper quarantine procedures.
Australia has maintained strict controls for many decades. Even Australians
returning from overseas are required to report whether they visited a farm.
All this could be in vain if illegal migration is not stopped.
It has been suggested that there should be a scheme to attract veterinarians
to practise in the country. Apparently newly qualified vets come to the country
for experience but most soon move back to the cities where the care of cats
and dogs is much preferred to looking after cows, sheep, horses, goats etc.
There are schemes, or proposals for schemes, to attract doctors, dentists, teachers
and other professionals to work in the country but surely, some day the penny
will drop for the people trying to grapple with the problem. The fact is that
all people living in the country are financially disadvantaged by deliberate
government policy. Picking and choosing which categories of people will be “encouraged”
will never solve the problem.
Governments pay out thousands of millions of dollars annually to make living
in the cities more attractive. They create a huge number of jobs, all of the
most highly paid, and lease huge amounts of office space adding to the availability
of jobs and adding value to buildings in the city.
They also provide public transport at less than half its actual cost and build
freeways that add value to property without any contribution from ratepayers.
Almost everyone in the metropolitan area benefits, either as a user or as the
owner of property that has value added. If they do not fall into either category,
they are penalised like country people. They have to pay higher rents because
property values are artificially inflated.
The same amount per capita spent in country areas in the provision of infrastructure
would solve the problems of attracting professionals. In the interests of a
fair society, however, the bulk of nearly $2 billion spent annually on freeways
and public transport should be recouped from those who benefit, either as users
or as property owners. This should be spent on those who need support instead
of the wealthy of Melbourne’s Central Business District.
