This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/braddon-election-farmers-sceptical-promises

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Tasmania's battle for Braddon: final pitch for votes Tasmania's battle for Braddon: final pitch for votes
(14 days later)
It's a picture-perfect day in north-west Tasmania, where the so-called battle for Braddon is being fought. Tractors busily drop red dirt on the Bass highway, paddocks finally being ploughed after record August rains followed by record spring temperatures. Here, politicians are fighting for headlines with the weather bureau. Farmers would tell you the seasons are the leveller here.

It's Tuesday, and Kevin Rudd has flown in to offer a $10m rescue plan for Simplot vegetable growers. Tony Abbott is due to arrive at a brickworks in Longford in the electorate of Lyons (held by Labor for 20 years) to announce the formation of a joint Tasmanian and commonwealth economic council.

When Rudd and Abbott both descend on northern Tasmania on the same day you know the going is getting tough. Five of the seven smallest electorates in the nation (by number of voters) are in Tasmania, including Bass, most of Lyons, and Braddon.

Braddon (roll call approximately 72,000), representing a third of the size of the state, is Tassie-concentrate. It takes in a mix of agricultural districts in the north and mining, aquaculture and wilderness areas on the west coast. It has Tasmania's largest dairying and prime beef producing area at Circular Head, is home to both the baseline air pollution station at Cape Grim (the only one of its kind in Australia) and one of Australia's largest windfarms at Woolnorth, supplying 12% of the state's total residential energy needs. Significant parts of the Tasmanian wilderness world heritage area fall within the region, and it's home to the Tarkine, the last temperate rainforest in Australia that competes with the contrasting needs of mining. Mineral exploration spending in Tasmania – much of it focused on the west coast – is at record levels.

You could say the north-west has a lot going for it.

But it would seem that the federal member has read the runes. Sid Sidebottom says his chances of re-election (and the Labor brand) are being damaged by the state Labor-Green coalition. The Greens, while campaigning federally on being compassionate and caring, are having none of that state-side, describing Sidebottom's blame game as "gutless". Meanwhile his Liberal opponent, Brett Whiteley, is cashing in. He says voters are fed up with Labor's relationship with the Greens but when pushed on his own policies shows wilful ignorance: "We have 250 or more policies" he boasted on ABC Local Radio, repeating the safe, corporate party lines – none specifically local.		It's a picture-perfect day in north-west Tasmania, where the so-called battle for Braddon is being fought. Tractors busily drop red dirt on the Bass highway, paddocks finally being ploughed after record August rains followed by record spring temperatures. Here, politicians are fighting for headlines with the weather bureau. Farmers would tell you the seasons are the leveller here.

It's Tuesday, and Kevin Rudd has flown in to offer a $10m rescue plan for Simplot vegetable growers. Tony Abbott is due to arrive at a brickworks in Longford in the electorate of Lyons (held by Labor for 20 years) to announce the formation of a joint Tasmanian and commonwealth economic council.

When Rudd and Abbott both descend on northern Tasmania on the same day you know the going is getting tough. Five of the seven smallest electorates in the nation (by number of voters) are in Tasmania, including Bass, most of Lyons, and Braddon.

Braddon (roll call approximately 72,000), representing a third of the size of the state, is Tassie-concentrate. It takes in a mix of agricultural districts in the north and mining, aquaculture and wilderness areas on the west coast. It has Tasmania's largest dairying and prime beef producing area at Circular Head, is home to both the baseline air pollution station at Cape Grim (the only one of its kind in Australia) and one of Australia's largest windfarms at Woolnorth, supplying 12% of the state's total residential energy needs. Significant parts of the Tasmanian wilderness world heritage area fall within the region, and it's home to the Tarkine, the last temperate rainforest in Australia that competes with the contrasting needs of mining. Mineral exploration spending in Tasmania – much of it focused on the west coast – is at record levels.

You could say the north-west has a lot going for it.

But it would seem that the federal member has read the runes. Sid Sidebottom says his chances of re-election (and the Labor brand) are being damaged by the state Labor-Green coalition. The Greens, while campaigning federally on being compassionate and caring, are having none of that state-side, describing Sidebottom's blame game as "gutless". Meanwhile his Liberal opponent, Brett Whiteley, is cashing in. He says voters are fed up with Labor's relationship with the Greens but when pushed on his own policies shows wilful ignorance: "We have 250 or more policies" he boasted on ABC Local Radio, repeating the safe, corporate party lines – none specifically local.
In Braddon, if posters count, Liberal signage for Brett Whiteley is also winning by a margin of 15 to 1. Even farm gates in the sitting Labor member Sid Sidebottom's home village of Forth are predominantly Liberal. Either he hasn't been home to see the shortfall, or he is simply battle weary and given up – or his vote is already lost.

The premier, Lara Giddings, conspicuous by her absence from federal Labor's campaign, chose to be on a trade mission in Asia this week, keeping in touch with Tasmanians via the hashtag #tasinasia. Today she is Skyping with primary school students in Hobart and tweeting about meeting an Indonesian rock star. In contrast, the state opposition leader and loyal lieutenant, Will Hodgman, is photographed standing next to Tony Abbott along with the relevant local federal member at every opportunity.

At the farm gate, producers despair. "Most people are die-hard Labor supporters round here," said one. "But Kevin Rudd has cooked his goose. Who's gonna vote for him three times?"

"I just despair of all of them," says Diane. "They keep talking about themselves and about promises that never happen."

She says she's a rusted-on Labor supporter; that the Tarkine is beautiful and the Greens do good things but go too far to one extreme. Tears well up in her eyes when she thinks about Saturday: "I just don't know who I'm going to vote for…"		In Braddon, if posters count, Liberal signage for Brett Whiteley is also winning by a margin of 15 to 1. Even farm gates in the sitting Labor member Sid Sidebottom's home village of Forth are predominantly Liberal. Either he hasn't been home to see the shortfall, or he is simply battle weary and given up – or his vote is already lost.

The premier, Lara Giddings, conspicuous by her absence from federal Labor's campaign, chose to be on a trade mission in Asia this week, keeping in touch with Tasmanians via the hashtag #tasinasia. Today she is Skyping with primary school students in Hobart and tweeting about meeting an Indonesian rock star. In contrast, the state opposition leader and loyal lieutenant, Will Hodgman, is photographed standing next to Tony Abbott along with the relevant local federal member at every opportunity.

At the farm gate, producers despair. "Most people are die-hard Labor supporters round here," said one. "But Kevin Rudd has cooked his goose. Who's gonna vote for him three times?"

"I just despair of all of them," says Diane. "They keep talking about themselves and about promises that never happen."

She says she's a rusted-on Labor supporter; that the Tarkine is beautiful and the Greens do good things but go too far to one extreme. Tears well up in her eyes when she thinks about Saturday: "I just don't know who I'm going to vote for…"
So many undecideds.

At the packing shed, Jess and Debs are joking about the Sex party personnel they saw on Sunrise. "At least they stood out but you wouldn't want them to run the country," says Jess. The same goes for Bob Katter and Clive Palmer, even though the Palmer United Party leader's parents were locals. "I'm not going to vote," says Debs. "Just gonna to leave it to the professionals. I don't understand what they're all on about anyway."

And there is something in that. When politicians come across all corporate, does the average apolitical person feel less confident about their own vote? If fly-in-fly-out politicians don't get time to chew the cud, muddy their boots, or listen across the kitchen table to people who are more loyal to their own way of life than most things, why should people bother back?

The truth is that while politicians extol the virtues of a clean green state and its capacity to front the Asian "dining boom", farmers are finding it harder than ever to farm and young people are increasingly less likely to. "It's too hard," says one organic farmer. "Employees want to earn $25 an hour or stay at home, but we only pay ourselves $10. It's better to get Woofers [volunteers] for free and provide them with food and a bed. They work harder than people who want to be paid $25 an hour."

Across the region, petrol prices are averaging 15 or 20 cents a litre more than those in Melbourne. It's a constant refrain from the RACT but the peak body representing motorists is more strident in dealing with the feds in town: "Why aren't the major parties saying how they would deal with decreasing competitiveness and rising fuel costs?" says spokesperson Vince Taskunas.

High profile north-west farmer Richard Bovill told ABC local radio: "Excuse me for being a tiny bit cynical about $10m for Simplot. Politicians seem blind to the cost of doing business here. We don't elect governments to give our money away. We need governments to offer policies that support industry. We need governments to understand when they introduce policies that also increase the cost of doing business that they have to do something about that at the same time."

When the two leaders have crossed Bass Strait so often this campaign, some are asking why the Bass Strait freight equalization scheme hasn't been addressed, despite its inadequacies being felt for many years. Tony Abbott says he won't engage in an auction of election promises with Labor but the local chamber of commerce says it's still their number one issue and "that's fine as long as it is dealt with – whoever wins government."

In the last week of this election campaign, the north-west coast newspaper, The Advocate, is holding a series of live blogs with Braddon candidates and promoting their Here & Proud campaign to find "$25 million worth of jobs in 100 days".

Despite his opportunity to quiz the candidates, Jimmy has asked the paper's editor Sean Ford: "Sean, who are you voting for in the upcoming election? And why? Can you offer us blokes who are unsure of some great reasons to vote for these clowns?"

Will it be Rudd's $10m announcement for Simplot? Or, Abbott's joint Tasmanian commonwealth economic council?

Ford writes: "With Here & Proud we are setting out to physically record a level of employment in the Cradle Coast region at its most difficult time economically in probably two decades. Each week, job service providers will give us figures on positions filled in this region to help us towards our target ... and we're calling for assistance from all employers in our region ..."

"That's the positive voice we want to hear," points out Diane at the local council information desk.

Not that north-west coasters are unhappy about the federal cash splash. It's just that despite it, Andrew Craigie, chair of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Vegetable Council, points out Simplot might still decide within weeks to close the Devonport processing factory.

And who will be there for the farmers then?		So many undecideds.

At the packing shed, Jess and Debs are joking about the Sex party personnel they saw on Sunrise. "At least they stood out but you wouldn't want them to run the country," says Jess. The same goes for Bob Katter and Clive Palmer, even though the Palmer United Party leader's parents were locals. "I'm not going to vote," says Debs. "Just gonna to leave it to the professionals. I don't understand what they're all on about anyway."

And there is something in that. When politicians come across all corporate, does the average apolitical person feel less confident about their own vote? If fly-in-fly-out politicians don't get time to chew the cud, muddy their boots, or listen across the kitchen table to people who are more loyal to their own way of life than most things, why should people bother back?

The truth is that while politicians extol the virtues of a clean green state and its capacity to front the Asian "dining boom", farmers are finding it harder than ever to farm and young people are increasingly less likely to. "It's too hard," says one organic farmer. "Employees want to earn $25 an hour or stay at home, but we only pay ourselves $10. It's better to get Woofers [volunteers] for free and provide them with food and a bed. They work harder than people who want to be paid $25 an hour."

Across the region, petrol prices are averaging 15 or 20 cents a litre more than those in Melbourne. It's a constant refrain from the RACT but the peak body representing motorists is more strident in dealing with the feds in town: "Why aren't the major parties saying how they would deal with decreasing competitiveness and rising fuel costs?" says spokesperson Vince Taskunas.

High profile north-west farmer Richard Bovill told ABC local radio: "Excuse me for being a tiny bit cynical about $10m for Simplot. Politicians seem blind to the cost of doing business here. We don't elect governments to give our money away. We need governments to offer policies that support industry. We need governments to understand when they introduce policies that also increase the cost of doing business that they have to do something about that at the same time."

When the two leaders have crossed Bass Strait so often this campaign, some are asking why the Bass Strait freight equalization scheme hasn't been addressed, despite its inadequacies being felt for many years. Tony Abbott says he won't engage in an auction of election promises with Labor but the local chamber of commerce says it's still their number one issue and "that's fine as long as it is dealt with – whoever wins government."

In the last week of this election campaign, the north-west coast newspaper, The Advocate, is holding a series of live blogs with Braddon candidates and promoting their Here & Proud campaign to find "$25 million worth of jobs in 100 days".

Despite his opportunity to quiz the candidates, Jimmy has asked the paper's editor Sean Ford: "Sean, who are you voting for in the upcoming election? And why? Can you offer us blokes who are unsure of some great reasons to vote for these clowns?"

Will it be Rudd's $10m announcement for Simplot? Or, Abbott's joint Tasmanian commonwealth economic council?

Ford writes: "With Here & Proud we are setting out to physically record a level of employment in the Cradle Coast region at its most difficult time economically in probably two decades. Each week, job service providers will give us figures on positions filled in this region to help us towards our target ... and we're calling for assistance from all employers in our region ..."

"That's the positive voice we want to hear," points out Diane at the local council information desk.

Not that north-west coasters are unhappy about the federal cash splash. It's just that despite it, Andrew Craigie, chair of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Vegetable Council, points out Simplot might still decide within weeks to close the Devonport processing factory.

And who will be there for the farmers then?
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday.