This week's winner is Craig Werner, of Macandrew Bay, for his views on councils investing in irrigation schemes. He receives a copy of The Prague Cemetery (Random House), by Umberto Eco. Craig's letter was published on Wednesday.
No place for councils in irrigation
The loan guarantees and spending by councils on irrigation (ODT, 17.8.12) is wrong and discriminatory. Fair council support to businesses such as broadband or innovation centres serves more than a single sector, and unlike the mature farming industry are just emerging into high potential growth areas.
As the primary industries do fine financially, there are irrigation companies, banks, and farmer collectives that are naturally inclined and equipped to bear business risk if the opportunity is truly a great one.
Don't burden the citizens.
Even the ORC's funding of scoping studies smacks of corporate welfare; too pro business and not pro ratepayer. As the ORC is a regulator, this farming favouritism is just as worrying as when in their long-term plan, irrigation spending was labelled "bulk water delivery", which disguised it to me. It took reading well past page one to discover that this wasn't some bland, benign infrastructure necessity.
Craig Werner
Macandrew Bay
