Something new and exciting has started happening in Australian Agriculture over the past few weeks. For the first time, Australians interested in all things farm and agriculture related are getting together on Twitter to discuss their trade.
It’s been called ‘agchatoz’ and happens every Tuesday night from 8pm EST. This twitter chat was started by a small group of us Aussies who decided that we could copy the tweeting success of the American based ‘Agchat Foundation‘. The format of the chat is that there will be a moderator who poses questions around a particular theme to all who are following. These questions are used as conversation starters and allow different viewpoints to be heard and issues raised. ‘AgchatOz’ has been growing in popularity every week since its debut, with tonight’s chat being the best yet.
‘AgchatOz’ was particularly topical this evening because it featured an appearance by Tony Burke, who is our Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as well as Minister for Sustainable Population. He was an active participant in the conversation and also responded to many questions, including my own. Just to really emphasise this let me restate: I was able to ask questions and receive instant responses from a member of federal cabinet just 4 days before a federal election*. Read that last sentence again and think about how social media is changing our world. The Internet has such potential to improve and revolutionise the democratic process. It makes the sharing of information so easy that one can instantly ask questions, share ideas and solicit feedback.
Tweeting with Tony Burke
Our national broadcaster has also been getting in on the act, with a couple of twitter chats being hosted at other times by ABC Rural. I’ve found all of these conversations great. They offer opinions and dialogue that would otherwise never occur. Conversations that aim to educate and share can only be a positive thing. So please, if you are all interested in farming, have any questions at all about agriculture, or just want to join in and learn via observation, then hop over to twitter and search for, or use the hash tag #agchatoz or even simply #agchat.
*Oh yeah, and I didn’t have to get off my couch to do it.
To follow up my previous post somewhat:
- Labor have promised to lift Foreign Aid levels to 0.5% of GDP by 2015. This is an increase from:
- The Coalition who have already commited to 0.35% of our GDP in Foreign Aid by 2010. The Libs are yet to commit past 2010.
So despite Labor looking the goods on this issue, BOTH parties have thus far failed in our commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals of 0.7% of GDP in foreign aid by 2015. (Source!)
Interestingly, both The Greens & Family First state in their policies that they would like to see the 0.7% figure reached or exceeded.
According to this article (Heat on PM to cut link to pastor) Tony Abbott has made the call that the Labor party does not have “the degree of Christian commitment” that the Coalition has. So by inference “if you consider yourself a Christian you should vote liberal”. I wonder if Mr. Abbott & other ‘Chrisitan’ pollies have read Matthew 7:
1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I think I’m capable of deciding on my own which party best represents my Christian beliefs. This should be obvious anyway because of fath & deeds etc. (James 2:17)
There has been quite a lot said about John Howards plan to crack down on sexual, drug and alcohol abuse in remote aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. Howard has even gone as far as saying the situation is Australia’s own Hurricane Katrina. While it seems like it’s good thing that action is being taken about this, it is vastly different to Hurricane Katrina. Why has it taken until now to act? These problems have existed for years. Ask anyone who lives in the Northern Territory. It’s not like these social issues have only just come out into the public light. I’ve been to the Northern Territory twice, and seen the evidence of widespread alcohol abuse, It’s there for everyone to see, in the main streets of most towns.
As this article states:
The strange thing is that the news about Aboriginal men’s rampant domestic abuse and the increasing rate of child abuse in the NT and elsewhere came as a shock to Howard. If one cared to look, or was interested to look, the information has been around for a generation.
Why did it jump to national attention last week? Why am I asking this question on my blog? Why isn’t the media filled with articles asking this very question?
Found some stuff on The Age site tonight:
Saddam was a monster, but don’t forget his ‘Frankensteins’ – The world deserves to know the full truth about the crimes that Saddam committed, as well as the people that helped him commit them.
Also on the subject of Iraq.
Despite knowing this: Bush admits US added to Iraq turmoil.
He’s going to do this: Bush commits 20,000 more troops to Iraq
With the full knowledge that:
Bush warns of more troop deaths in last-ditch plan &
Surge’ expected to intensify fighting are by far the most likely outcomes.
Why?
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