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Issue No. 130 | 05 April 2002 |
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Lights Out on The Hill
Interview: Change Agent Industrial: Balancing the Books Unions: Breaking Out Politics: Pissing on the Light on the Hill History: Of Death and Taxes International: Now That's a Strike! Satire: Mugabe Voted Miss Zimbabwe: Denies Election Rigged Poetry: Flick Go The Branches Review: Red, Red Clydeside
The Soapbox Sport Week in Review Postcard
 Puplick's SermonChikka's LegacySocialists in the UKOrganising GloballyGrape DisappointmentUnion Resignations : Crisis or Opportunity?
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Letters to the Editor Grape Disappointment
This is in regard to the wine grape growers that are facing hardship and the government is doing nothing to help. The wine grape growers are severly disadvantaged to the effect that the wineries have all amalgamated to lower their prices. Norman's going broke got the ball rolling and the wineries saw this an opportunity to resume paying lower prices and the few recent years they had been payiong reasonable prices for the wine grapes. This by the way was the first time in my recalling as I was born and raised in Renmark S.A.-Riverland all my life. The good prices brought the value of the region up and encouraged new business into the area. The growers saw the opportunity for the first time ever to expand and 90% have all borrowed money and are in debt quite deeply thinking that the prices would of lasted at least for the next couple of years. How can the export market be booming and excelling even this year, yet they tell us here [and these are the wineries excuses]that they have an oversupply of this variety, or they didn't create the new market that they expected yet they are putting up new tanks for their juice everyday. Next is the growers which their contracts run out this year,there is no indication what so ever some growers have been told that their contracts are not being renewed. This is giong to bring a bigger problem next year as a large percentage of growers will have no contracts next year and the problem is giong to be even bigger. You will have growers that are uncontracted with no home for their grapes as well as the uncontracted growers from this year. The prices will probably be even worse. This year the harvest is well and trully underway and the prices were only released about 1 to 2 weeks before harvest. This is ridiculous, as the growers did not know what their budget etc. would be. Thewre are giong to be growers going broke declaring bankruptcy and going on unemployment benefits. It will cost the government $45,000 in grants per person and a family of two will recieve $760 in unemployment benefits one week and $320 for the children the other week. The government allowed for the water to be given to the big developers and water has been cut back for us smaller growers. Now we are being told to conserve water and our water rates have risen. This whole thing is about politics and we need a voice that will not be cornered into some deal because of politics. The government needs to be persuaded to listen to us in a way that it will benefit them. They will have more unemployment rise and their populatity will fall and they will be out of pocket with the bankruptcy and many bussiness leaving very large amounts of money outstanding with not only with major banks but also with other business.It will not be good for anybody all round but the the one that will suffer the most will be the grower that has worked all his life to lose everything. Name Withheld By Request
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