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MySpace has the pictures, blog-city the comments. Sheds, garages, would be service station, all now used as rental accommodation. To sell your home & land and re-locate could still leave one at a disadvantage as not many are game to go into debt in a small town, and the banks are still not keen to lend, unless you are well up the income bracket.

In truth, when I used the greeting 'comrade', it was personal to the green groups themselves. The printing of this letter here was without my knowledge, but later approval. I don't see how a moratorium on development puts pressure on old infrastructure. We don't need 'barriers' to stop people moving to SE Qld, just a lack of houses for them to live in. This would be achieved with a moratorium. You ask "where would they move to?", and I say they can stay where they are! Yes I know water shortages are happening everywhere - people must stop breeding! And we must also put a moratorium on immigration. Australia is overpopulated now. The climate's screwing up, our food stocks are dropping (largely due to the drought), and you think it's alright to increase the population? Moving people to less populated areas fixes nothing. I have just done that myself. I now live in a state of the art eco-house (whose construction DID emit 100 tonnes of CO2!) just north of Noosa, but I am water/energy/waste self sufficient. The people around me aren't though..... as soon as it stops raining, they empty their tanks, and water trucks queue up past my place to refill them..... while my tank overflowed again with the 40mm we received a week ago. See, it fixes nothing if people continue to be stupid. The trouble is, no-one wants to talk about overpopulation. It's taboo, for reasons I can't really fathom. Why? We're not rabbits!? Can't we discuss this like the intelligent beings we are supposed to be? Mike.

Hi Mike, I'm not sure that use of the term "comrades" will encourage any readers. In fact I believe it will have the reverse effect. The use of that term alone will negate any message you wish to give to others. In correspondence between Green groups it may be acceptable but even there it has overtones which deter potential recruits to your thoughts. Nothing personal, just my immediate reaction to the term. As to whether there is a water or population problem the result is the same is it not? Too many people, not enough water. Stopping development will surely just increase pressure on existing, and old, infrastructure with the obvious results. That is breakdown in the most populated areas as more people try and live in existing housing. Where should they go? Much as I disagree with Mr Beattie on most things even he stated the obvious in that we cannot put up borders to prevent people coming here. It's not just a Brisbane problem either Mike, it's happening everywhere. What I'd prefer to see is incentives given for people to move to less populated areas but that too will create demands for water that probably isn't available right now. The push for recycled water is clearly a problem of lack of planning, foresight and action by all governments here over the last 30 years. They just sat on their hands and let things ride until crisis after crisis began to hit. Thus the push for an unpalatable (excuse the pun) choice. There is also a slight problem with a potential cessation of development. That is unemployment. Because of that such a change will not happen and I would suggest pushing that line will be both fruitless and will embarrass the Greens or green supporters. Rather than focus on the cessation of development I would suggest a more productive approach would be to attack the government(s) that have created this problem and expose them for what they are. I feel that the vote will fail simply because of the stigma, as it did in Toowoomba. It's too easy to discolour the issue and opponents will prey on ignorance, as usual. No offence intended and I do agree with the thrust of your message but reality tells me such efforts will be frustrating and have no chance of success.

Sure, the Australian Government is riding on the coal wagon, at present. Farming is knocked for a six with the drought. Took a while for the townies to wake up that the dams were getting lower & lower. I refused to sell up & leave, even if the busy little social workers worked on my friends & associates to nag me into believing I was usless and getting febbler by the day, on my death bed practically, but what better place to die than among your friends & family. Asking rents are up to $680.00 I read a few weeks back for a simple 4 bedroom miners cottage that would be six dollars a week back in mid 1970's even before the treasurer of the day put a tax on the sub. housing. Then there was the 10 weeks strike. My daughter who lives on the land, [where some of the dams have already dried up] informs me that she is really surrounded by mines, and if they say they want their land to mine, you are forced to sell, at acceptable price, as it is too dangerous to stay. Australia is no better than the Congo, or any other place that International Big Business says, "I want," and takes. Costello has said, China & India want our low ash burning coal, and if you do not oblige, they will just take.. I quit with onlineopinion as management removed a comment of mine, and I so strongly believed in what I was saying, best way was out..

It's difficult to disagree with much of this item. Timely too given today's "water summit" in Canberra, the upshot of which appears to be that we are in a "once in a thousand year drought". Good one, a country with less than 300 years recorded history can make such ridiculous statements and hope the public just cower in fear and rely on those people we, yes us, voted to lead us through such times. Times when the $ is not just the best thing in our lives (according to our so called leaders), it is the only thing. It is already rumoured that John Howard is gearing up his warchest to open the purse strings yet again, on tax cuts, social security benefits and anything else that can distract the voters from what we need. That is governments who respond to the public rather than boasting about "hard decisions" which is code for policies the public do not want or need. The solution? As Peggy Lee sang "Is that all there is? If that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. Let's break out the booze, and have a ball, if that's all, there is." Nero sang that song first I understand, although Adam probably hummed the tune as well. Don't bother doing anything, those that hold the power of government will continue as they are. Do nothing, spend big on your buddies and ignore the bleeding obvious until the next election. In our case John Howard is using, and always does, distraction. Scare them as much as possible, tell them as little as possible and rely on public stupidity and apathy to keep electing either the current government or an identical one currently led by a rather large man. Regrettably one who has no plans. Oops, sorry. Kim did promise to "fix global warming" didn't he? Just lie back and think of England. Again, sorry, Australia of course.