Protests Similar to Those in U.S. : Australian Farmers Also Grow Militant

U.S. farmers are not alone in their troubles. Their Australian counterparts are experiencing similar difficulties and conducting similar protests.

A few months ago, they staged one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in this country, when about 40,000 farmers from around the country converged on Canberra, the capital, to demand a better deal from Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s Labor government.

Rallies dedicated to the rural cause have featured performances by top Australian musicians, much like the Farm Aid concert put on in Illinois by American country-music stars.

And starting early next year, the farmers will launch a $6-million public relations campaign aimed at city dwellers. Its slogan is, “You can’t take the country out of the country.”

Trading Votes for Aid

The man behind the drive is Ian McLachlan, head of the National Farmers Federation. His intention is to mobilize the organization into a powerful lobby that, as he puts it, will teach farmers how to barter their votes with the nation’s political parties.

McLachlan is no bumpkin. He has a graduate degree from Britain’s Cambridge University and was a champion cricket player. His family owns Australia’s largest sheep ranch, which makes him a wealthy figure indeed.

Above all, he is charismatic and articulate, and his emergence as a spokesman for the farmers seems to be the first step in a climb toward national political prominence.

Meanwhile, his constituents are foundering.The average income for a farm family now stands at roughly $4,500 a year, one-third the national average. While interest rates hover around 17%, an Australian farmer can expect no more than a 2% return on his business investment.

Since 1979, the costs of farming have risen 44%, but agricultural prices have gone up only 12%. There are now 175,000 fewer farms than in 1970, and 5,000 more are expected to go on the block this year. The chances of selling them in the currently stagnant market are slim.

The dairy and sugar sectors have been hit the worst , and wheat and rice growers are headed for trouble.

The squeeze stems from a problem that has also hurt U.S. farmers--competition from the European Community, which floods the global market with cheap, subsidized products.

While American farmers have to some extent relied on the government for help, their Australian colleagues have no such recourse. Australia just cannot match the fiscal resources of the United States.

An irony of the situation is that Australian agriculture is the most efficient in the world. Each farmer here produces enough food for 70 people, compared to 59 in the United States and 19 in Western Europe.

Australia is extremely vulnerable, however, because 70% of its agricultural output is sold abroad. And even with the slump, Australian wheat, wool and beef are the nation’s biggest export earners.

World Market Blamed

John Kerin, Australia’s minister for primary industry and himself a former farmer, blames the problem on the vagaries of the international market, and he frequently travels overseas to encourage other countries to boost their trade with Australia.

His dilemma is that Australia is no match for the agricultural superpowers, whose trade policies reflect domestic political imperatives.

The long-range solution, Kerin contends, is a renovation of the Australian economy. Among other things, high tariffs and import quotas that protect Australian manufacturers penalize farmers by saddling them with costly domestic equipment, chemicals and other goods.

Ian McLachlan and his farm lobby agree with Kerin on some issues. Nevertheless, they believe that the government ought to do more for the farmers, such as exempting them from burdensome taxes.

Whatever course the government chooses, it is not likely to dampen McLachlan, who is starting to flex his political muscle and intends to continue twisting the arms of anyone resisting him.