The long, soul-destroying national debate has begun. Should the Commonwealth find yet another way of pick-pocketing the citizenry by taxing sugar?
Predictably the Greens are behind the push, having gone to the last election with a sugar tax as part of their grab bag of feel good policies. The Greens have said they will introduce a “sugar-sweetened beverages tax” as a private members’ bill in the ongoing freak show that is the Australian Senate at some time over the next 12 months.
Barnaby Joyce was incandescent – well, more incandescent with rage at the proposal.
“People are sitting on their backsides too much, and eating too much food and not just soft drinks, eating too many chips and other food,” Barnaby said.
Perhaps inadvertently, the Deputy Prime Minister had outed himself as a hand wringer for the public good of a different kind. He’s pro-sugar but anti-fat.
Full column here.
Rhys,
“Science is never a revelation handed down from on-high either, unlike many religions, so it’s probably a good thing that the advice changes from generation to generation according to research, even if some of it’s probably based on a catalogue of errors later fixed up or funded by self-serving industry bodies and governments.”
have you gone over to the denier camp?
Razor – just caught your comment regarding the mysterious failure of sea levels to rise at Saibai Island on the last blog.
Saibai was one of the first islands I visited in the Strait and remained one of my favourites the whole time I was up there. I’ll never forget the first time I sat at the wharf and actually watched foreign nationals leave their own country by boat and motor into ours. Bit of a shock for someone whose last post had been Melbourne Airport!
I love the carvings the Paps bring over to Saibai for the market! Knocked over a couple of Chrissy presents whilst I was there last time.
Razor, drop me an email. Your addy is on my home machine. Love to meet you for a drink on Tuesday.
Sent mate
By the way, Jack who are those fine specimens in the picture at the head of the article?
I was the guy on the left before I dropped 40 kilos.
BLS, not sure who the flankers are but the bloke in the middle must be Russ Hinze, Queensland minister for racing roads, police, local government etc.
i am told this is the granddaughter,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3546851/Billioniare-Jim-Clark-skipper-Ken-Read-smiles-shooting-Kristy-Hinze-dispute-rumours.html
I think the one in the middle is Rusty Heinz…
The middle one looks a bit like Russ Hinze – is he a man or is he a house?
It’s an old pic of Russ at a Queensland belly judging competition. I kid you not.
The bloke on the right (Russ’s left) must have won then? There’s a lot of XXXX went into that work of art.
God forbid the man ever gave up the grog. He would have caused a run on the All Ords.
You’d have to be pretty dedicated to make Russ Hinze look small.
The one in the middle is Russ Hinze minister for everything in the JOH years. The one on the left used to live not far from me when I was growing up! A truckie……..
Iced coffee at every roadhouse
Burrata is the solution, The Australian version is pasteurised which takes away from it a bit- but best cure for the blues when combined with something alcoholic.
Simon, I have a weakness for Brillat Savarin it ranges between $18-$24 for a 200g cheese, beautiful when you cut into it and it just oozes out of the rind.
I’ve stashed away a couple for Christmas.
Good funny rant. But tax the living sh*t out of the stuff anyway. Even better, ban the use of it in manufacturing food for human consumption. It aint natural.
Uncle Quentin 2:56PM
Top comment. I don’t have diabetes but I have more or less given up anything with added sugar and cut right back on the carbs, and it is amazing how much better, brighter and fitter I feel. Like twenty years younger. Even the food tastes way better.
I’d never thought much about sugar till a mate, a sugarphobe suggested I put the sugar in a cup of hot water (no science content that I have investigated, but interesting) before adding the tea bag. Gummed the damn bag up immediately. No cup of tea.!
“And you’re running that gunk through your capillaries you idiot!”
Who knows? But life is absolutely better without it.
Give ’em heaps.
I did the no sugar bugger all carbs thing as well JB and couldn’t agree more. Lost about 5k. Imagine how much I would have lost if I had given up beer!
Sugar is a baddie. I would support a tax on it – but don’t think it would deter consumers.
Actually sugar is a real baddie. I would support an increased tax on it, but I don’t think that’ll deter consumers.
In the end the best thing to do is give people information and let them make the choice, Yvonne.
If that is the case is tax or “levy” on sugar content really that much of an issue ? If people know it will cost them 5 cents more for a can of coke that is their choice to purchase. We tax alcohol, we tax tobacco we should tax marijuana when it is legally available why is this any different? There has been a good deal of research into the health impacts of additives including sugar and salt. I am all for choice. I when possible choose not to purchase food items high in added salt, fat, palm oil, artificial colourings, flavourings, chemicals and sugar etc that is a choice. I have seen a couple of articles this week deriding the tax suggestion interestingly mostly from those that oppose the greens politically. I fear in this country information is presented more and more along “political” lines rather than being reviewed and taken on its merits.
Do Magnum ice reams count as good or bad sugar? Think I’ll have one before I get the answer.
It’s all good, Penny.
top reply…. OAM stuff
It’s a bit like a chocolate chip cookie Penny, once you bite in all the nasties leak out….no damage
Even with the PhD Penny they assume you’re not smart enough to manage your own life.
God I love Magnums haven’t had one in over 12mths………….. maybe a little one wouldn’t hurt today.
So Morrison picks up a lazy $500,000,000.
Only $36,500,000,000 (or something like that) to balance the budget.
Put a tax on fat. Each year you go into the quack’s. He/she measures your bmi and you pay $1000 for every kilo over weight. I, who gave up sugar in tea or coffee years ago, hardly ever drink soft drink, and exercise regularly will only be up for about $15,000.
The extra weight might just come from what’s in the non-soft drink bottle and gee, do I pay tax on that.
Morrison just had his gall bladder out as I understand it (maybe he’ll be less prone to outrageous statements from now on). Fat is going to give him a hard time for the rest of his life (not sure about sugar).