A Toronto Sun picture of Joe Hockey, ca. 2013.
A quick note to thank Australian Ambassador to the US Joe Hockey for the candid discussion yesterday about grazing policy. I was following up on the source of a single initiative in the 2015 Australian budget, Mr. Hockey’s last as the Treasurer of Australia. In announcing the opportunity for accelerated depreciation for farmers to install fencing and water infrastructure, Mr. Hockey asserted their value for cell grazing, which is “far more productive and is actually better for the environment”. In discussion yesterday, Ambassador Hockey linked his statement, indeed the initiative, to his own experiences as then-owner of a grazing property in the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland. I am grateful to the Ambassador for his willingness to reveal the inner workings of policy.
