Most of us are familiar with paying tax … Federal, State and Council taxes. Did you know NSW farmers pay a fourth tier of tax? This tax is to support a state bureaucracy called the Local Land Services or LLS.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
No farmer I have spoken to has any idea what the LLS is supposed to do.
Farmers used to be served by a Pasture Protection Board. It was regional, served by elected and honorary local farmers and graziers in the main. The PP Board brought significant local knowledge and because they lived and worked on their farms, they represented and administered their region well.
Now, we have the expensive, remote and disconnected LLS. Instead of Honorary representation we pay each chairman of the 11 boards $60,000 pa.
If that is not enough, we have an ex-banker, now country squire residing on one of the MacCarther properties acting as chair of chairs. For this he gets $250,000, but what does the farmer - the ratepayer - get?
At the board level they seem interested in no more than policing. At the “grass roots” I am told there is very good service, but these people were doing as was did with the PP board.
Why then, have they done this? The Bureaucrats lobby constantly against the bush implying that we are a bunch of dummies. They just use this line in order to grow their bureaucracy delivering them “Power and Money”. The Politicians go along as it offers opportunity for “Patronage”.
Agriculture is about Indians and very few chiefs. Not self-important bankers who have ingratiated themselves to a political party to continue on the gravy train.
I doubt if any of the Chairs have ever worked with their hands. On that alone they can’t represent, as they don’t understand their topic.
