Cattlemen and high country leases.

[Alleged conversation between John Thwaits and Steve Bracks]

JT: Hey SB, we’re in trouble.
SB: Don’t you worry JT, leave it all to Uncle SB.
JT: No, no no SB not your fantastic slight of hand job with the Land tax rip off nor your beautiful city car parking money grab nor even your fantastic wage increases for hospitality workers which cost thousands of jobs.
SB: Then JT it must be really serious …. Votes!!
JT: Got it SB, even with our unsustainable election promises we are still losing votes
SB: Alright alright JT, let’s do something which will bring on board all those swinging ‘green’ voters and as long as only a few people lose their shirts, that’s alright.
JT: I know, I know, I know, let’s ban high country grazing for farmers.
CATTLEMEN AND HIGH COUNTRY LEASES
[Alleged conversation between John Thwaits and Steve Bracks] [cont]

SB: Great galloping man from snowy river JT, we can’t do that, they’re part of our culture and it’s been going on forever and the farmers are in trouble anyway.
JT: Yeah I know SB, we all know there’s no real damage to the high country as proven by the fact that they have been at it for decades, but SB, you know the tree huggers are many with lots of votes and they outnumber the cattlemen thousands to one.
SB: JT, are you sure the Greenies want one of our national icons wiped out, we know they can be somewhat narrow in their thinking and single bloody minded, but perhaps JT this is a bit of a long horseshoe throw?
JT; Think Votes SB, we’ll scratch up a bit of scientific evidence showing a few blades of trampled grass, zoom in on a cattle path or two and based on that evidence alone suggest disaster is imminent. Then we’ll trot out a few intelligent looking greenie types to nod knowingly and the smoke screen slight of hand will be complete.
SB: You’re right JT, bugger our Australian heritage, hail the Greenies and bugger the cattlemen, let ‘em sell insurance for a living, we need votes!
JT: You’re my hero SB.
SB: Pssst JT, you don’t think the voters realise that we don’t actually do anything.
JT: Nah.