The Teals in Farrer are running a local teacher, Michelle Millthorpe who ran against Sussan Ley last election. Green millionaire Simon Holmes-a-Court has been bankrolling these female candidates with some success getting six elected in 2025. The all-women Teal MHR’s do not have official party status however they vote in a bloc and most opposite parliamentarians regard them as closet Greens.
Cairns News has a different view. We think they are bored housewives who should get out of the place considering they vote with Labor most of the time and can be thanked for bringing the country to its knees with renewable power and killing our oil refineries with absurd environmental conditions which forced all but two of our fuel manufacturers to close. They should stick to bridge games and school fetes which are on par with their intellectual level.
It remains to be seen just where the preference deals will be done. The Nationals have no chance of taking Farrer on their own and combined with the Liberals could put up a fight but One Nation has the lead. One Nation would need much of the undecided and other voters preferences to get ahead but to whom will ON voters direct their preferences? Will the Liberals and Nationals preference Labor?
One Nation candidate David Farley won’t get many Labor, Teals or Greens preferences and the Liberals and Nationals will preference each other. These projections are all based on voters following how-to-vote cards which is not always a sure bet.
Let’s hope Holmes-a-Court gets caught up in the recriminations from industry as the country grinds to a halt by the end of March. His motley lot are in part the cause of our fuel dilemma and the impending shut down of tens of thousands of small businesses.
Farmers are losing millions a day and transport companies have got a lot of long haul trucks parked up. Trucks cannot run profitably with diesel costing over $1.70 a litre. A 575 HP, B-Double pantech freight truck as commonly contracted by Woolies, Coles and general freight has fuel consumption either empty or loaded averaging one l.4 kilometres per litre of fuel, costing $2.85 litre, so a 1600 klm run from Tully to Brisbane with bananas and return with a load of general freight or empty equates to $6514 just for fuel.
Then the company has to charge $400 per tonne plus a 38 per cent fuel levy ($552 per tonne) for farm produce to Brisbane. The truck could carry on average 30 tonnes so the payload is $12,000 plus 38 per cent one way and hopefully get a return load.
Is it any wonder farmers are leaving their fruit to rot on the tree.
However with fuel rationing occurring in many service stations the truck might be lucky to get sufficient fuel for a return trip. This makes carrying freight too uncertain and costly which is why some operators chose to stand down.
Well done free-trading and deregulating Liberal and Labor. You have finally succeeded in your long-time goal of bringing the country down.
Who would want to be a farmer or truckie or Teal politician?
