http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/john-cobb/ John Cobb was no stranger to politics when he entered Federal Parliament in 2001.  Born and raised in western NSW and a former president of the NSW Farmers’ Association, John made the move into federal politics to change city-centric politics and achieve a fair go for country people. John served as the Member for Parkes from 2001 until the 2007 election.  Following a redistribution of electoral boundaries in 2006, he made the decision to stand for the seat of Calare, which took in most of the old seat of Parkes and now includes the local government areas of Bourke, Brewarrina, Orange, Cowra, Blayney and Cabonne. John has held a range of Ministerial portfolios, first being appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Services following the 2004 election.  He subsequently served as Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (2005), Minister for Community Services (2006-7) and Assistant Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (2007). After the 2007 election, John accepted a posting in Shadow Cabinet as Minister for Regional Development and Water Security, two issues very close to his heart, and in 2008 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.  As well as his portfolio responsibilities, he continues to work hard to attract and keep doctors and medical specialists in the bush, ensuring quality telecommunications for the country, returning property rights to landholders and protecting the interests of small business.  John believes it is these basic values that will drive regional growth and ensure the social and economic fabric of our rural communities thrives. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-sustainability-without-food-security/ Since becoming Prime Minister, Gillard has been work-shopping the phrase ‘Sustainable Australia’. Like Kevin 07’s, ‘working families’ no-one really has a clue what it means, but the faces behind the PM on the six o’clock news all nod diligently whenever she mentions it. It is almost like they are too embarrassed to admit they have no idea what she is talking about. I bet that every one of those ALP candidates who nod eagerly whenever the word ‘sustainable Australia’ is mentioned would love it if the Prime Minister could explain what the difference is between a ‘sustainable’ Australia and a ‘big’ Australia if you don’t cut the current immigration rate, or increase the death rate or decrease the birth rate. It is telling the only actual policy Ms Gillard has delivered in her first four weeks as Prime Minister was to change the Minister for Population’s title to the Minister for ‘Sustainable’ Population. Every other policy she has announced will be delivered sometime in the never never or - never, ever. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-sustainability-without-food-security/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/no-sustainability-without-food-security/#item3599 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:35:20 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-population-labor-is-concerned-about-is-itself/ Over Easter, the then Prime Minister quietly upgraded one of his Mandarins. It was the second time in as many weeks that a Mandarin has been invited into the bunker to receive new instructions. This time it was the NSW Right Faction which scored a prize. The part-time Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, has been asked to come up with a cunning plan to have a cunning plan, and was even given a new moniker to go with the job. Mr Burke, who has always aspired to have his Who’s Who subscription waivered because of Who he was, is now to be know as: The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, Minister ‘Sustainable’ for Population. Three days into the job, the Prime Minister’s first actual policy announcement was to add the word ‘Sustainable’ to the Population Minister’s title. It really does sum up the way Labor is driven by spin. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-population-labor-is-concerned-about-is-itself/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-population-labor-is-concerned-about-is-itself/#item3425 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:35:32 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/posturing-over-water-ignores-our-history-of-drought/ It is an absolute tribute to the men and women who built the Snowy Mountains Scheme that their engineering marvels continue to supply drinking, irrigation and environmental water to two million people who call the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) home. Because if it wasn’t for the man-made miracle that is the Snowy Mountain Scheme, the only thing coming out of many taps in the MDB would have been dust. Permanent plantings of citrus, stone fruits, grapes and the myriad of fresh food that lands on our table would have been wiped out. Whole communities would have had to pack up and leave and the environment would have worn the full fury of Mother Nature with death a daily reminder of the power of the weather gods. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/posturing-over-water-ignores-our-history-of-drought/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/posturing-over-water-ignores-our-history-of-drought/#item2239 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:30:40 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-carbon-tax-debate-australia-never-had/ The current debate is not about the science of climate change. The climate has always changed, it always will. At some level man must be contributing to it.  I strongly believe that reducing pollution can only be a good thing not only for the environment, but also for the Nation’s productive capacity and our kids’ future. However the ‘debate’ over man-made global warming has now been hijacked by those who claim that if you are arguing against the Rudd Government’s Emission Trading Scheme then somehow you are arguing against the environment. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-carbon-tax-debate-australia-never-had/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-carbon-tax-debate-australia-never-had/#item1882 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:35:33 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/my-drought-plea-to-the-prime-minister/ This week I have been travelling around the Central and Western wheat-belt of NSW and have seen the destruction that the drought is again bringing to many regions. The dust storm which hit Sydney also took with it the hopes and this year’s incomes of many country people. I would normally never publish a letter like this, however, time is running out for many farmers and I can only hope that by publishing this letter on The Punch, the Prime Minister takes an interest and finds the time to visit the men and women for whom the drought is now becoming a reoccurring nightmare. Hon Kevin Rudd MP Prime Minister of Australia Suite MG 8 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Prime Minister, feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/my-drought-plea-to-the-prime-minister/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/my-drought-plea-to-the-prime-minister/#item1323 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:30:19 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudds-ets-more-poisonous-than-a-cane-toad/ As the emissions trading scheme debate moves towards a frenzied climax in the Senate, Australia is sadly overlooking the biggest environmental issues facing this country right now. I believe the greatest threat to this nation’s environment right now is not global warming but feral animals and noxious weeds. Cane toads, lippia, foxes, serrated tussock, donkeys, feral cats, rabbits, Fireweed and Parthenium weed are hardly subjects of household discussion, yet between them they are destroying our native fauna and flora at an astounding rate. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudds-ets-more-poisonous-than-a-cane-toad/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/rudds-ets-more-poisonous-than-a-cane-toad/#item865 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:40:29 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wheres-the-stimulus-cash-for-food-producers/ Agriculture Minister Tony Burke claimed as an observer to the G8 Agriculture Minister’s meeting in Europe that “Australia has a major role to play in meeting the global food shortage and boosting global food security … we believe investment in agricultural research will be essential”. Fast forward to the Budget and we find that the Rudd Government cut the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry budget by $908 million or 32 percent. Included in the cuts was the axing of the research body Land and Water Australia, 312 jobs cut and a $35.877 million cut to the Quarantine and Bio-security program. Cutting the agriculture research budget is unforgivable – but cutting the quarantine budget is criminal. The Rudd Government’s legacy will include disease, deficits and debt. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wheres-the-stimulus-cash-for-food-producers/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/wheres-the-stimulus-cash-for-food-producers/#item445 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:35:50 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/on-the-origin-of-the-bogan-as-a-species/ It was a meeting last week with a fired up General Manager of the Bogan Shire Council, Mike Brady, and the Deputy Mayor Jim Hemstead over the town’s swimming pool which really got me thinking about bogans. The news was full of chk-chk-boom bogans, and to top it off I even had 30 kids from Bogan Shire’s St Josephs School come into the Parliamentary office whilst on an excursion to Canberra. After a moment of quiet reflection I am now convinced there is a bit of bogan in every Australian. I realise the statement may shock and dismay some of our nation’s more refined citizens. feedback@thepunch.com.au (John Cobb) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/on-the-origin-of-the-bogan-as-a-species/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/on-the-origin-of-the-bogan-as-a-species/#item207 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:45:18 +0000 John Cobb | Author bios | The Punch