BOOKS, cars and Mary River turtles. What have they got in common?
Answer: the Rudd Government thinks they're worth protecting.
Last week, the Government announced it would keep restrictions on imported books, rebuffing the Productivity Commission and Competition Minister Craig Emerson, who both wanted them to go.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett also vetoed the Queensland Government's plan to dam the Mary River, citing concerns about the threat to rare species of turtles, cod and lungfish.
And last year, the car industry got $6 billion to help adapt to the realities of a "green" global market.
Many farmers must be scratching their heads, especially those in the trade-vulnerable fruit, vegetable and pork industries.
Even wheat farmers must be wondering what they did wrong after unceremoniously losing their export single desk within seven months of Labor's 2007 election win.
Meanwhile, they all continue to be battered on unfair global markets where protectionism is rife.
In making his dam decision, Mr Garrett also invoked the "precautionary principle" - while the science wasn't definitive, the risks were potentially serious enough to act.
It's the principle the Government is reluctant to use in quarantine decisions on food imports.
As for cars, the Government actually avoided using the commission to analyse the industry.
The Government's approach is irritatingly inconsistent and ad hoc: Accept the commission's findings when it believes industries should make it on their own. Ignore them when it's made a decision to protect.
The basis for these decisions isn't set out anywhere. It could be political or just reflect the views of key ministers.
Don't get me wrong.
The book decision is great for a region like Maryborough, which depends crucially on the local printing industry.
But at a broader level, there's a disturbing message for farmers: local literature (and cars and turtles) are more important than food production.
