Peter Garrett lets his cat out of the bag (AFR, 20 May, "Environment pays dearly for free trade"). He opposes the free trade treaty with the US because it will enrich us and in the process cause us to use more water, energy and land. There's an irony in being lectured on the evils of wealth by a millionaire pop singer.
What Mr Garrett is saying is that he opposes economic growth because, according to the CSIRO, each dollar increase in GDP entails use of more water, energy and land. It follows therefore that he would rather see a poorer Australia so that with each dollar of lost income we will see less use of water, energy and land.
His real agenda is to overturn the existing system of individual choice and supplant it with a system in which his politburo will ensure that the expenditures we make are consistent with the ACF vision of a productive economy. This would replace our market system with one that entails massive taxation and rationing of the goods and services that joyless environmentalists say they abhor.
Aside from this, his philosophy demonstrates a failure to understand that enrichment allows us to afford greater environmental protection (and the richest nations like the US, Switzerland and Australia have far better environmental conditions than poor nations like India, China and most African countries).
He also says the FTA would give foreign firms more secure property rights than those Australian citizens presently enjoy. This is absurd since any improvement in property rights would actually extend to everyone and would warrant a full throated three cheers rather than the polite "hear hear" the FTA presently receives.
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