[url=http://www.socialist-alliance.org/page.php?page=816]Socialist Alliance on water policy[/url]
[url=http://www.cecaust.com.au/]Citizens Electoral Council[/url]
Food and water sovereignty – The Foreign Investment Review Board examines investment by foreigners in commercial and residential property but not small-scale rural purchases.
o The Greens leader Bob Brown backs the creation of a register of foreign ownership and calls on the Nationals to protect their rural constituents.
o Tony Abbott: Wants to monitor foreign ownership of farmland more closely and is prepared to take appropriate action if the scale of investment threatens national interest. “We must be in charge of what happens in our own country and obviously if we are going to be genuinely sovereign in our own country we’ve got to know what’s going on.” Not an opponent of foreign investment. Does not want to create a formal register of foreign-owned farmland because state titles offices already hold ownership details relating to all offices. “It is important that the public understand that this country is run by the Australian Government in Australia’s national interests. We do want to sell the food rather than sell the farm. Australia would always need foreign investment just as Australian foreign investment in other countries was a “good thing” and part of a healthy vigorous world economy.”
Joe Hockey (Liberal Treasury spokesman) repudiated a call by Nationals John Cobb for a register of all foreign purchases of land and water.
o Labor Agricultural Minister Tony Burke said the Coalition must embrace the longstanding bipartisan support for foreign investment. He says the FIRB has the power to examine any acquisition by a foreign company or government regardless of the value.