As we watch with increasing annoyance and incredulity the befuddled and wasteful actions of the present government as they seek to stem the flow of money into the hands of lenders, not by producing more per head, but by increasing the number of heads, we the Hoi polloi of this wonderful country now see a future of falling living standards, less jobs and increasing taxation.

As costs of inputs such as power, gas, fuel, and plastics force industries such as smelting, steel fabrication, fertiliser production, and house building either going offshore or becoming too expensive for the average Aussie Battler.

Frustration turns to angers as we watch Prime Minister Albanese and Treasurer Chalmers making speeches based on hyperbole propelled by hot air and nothing more at ‘talkfests’ in Canberra.

Surely, yes without doubt, our present leaders lack both the personal intelligence and robust advice to lead our country to a prosperous future. I would suggest that they seek a new path by sacking the close coterie of present advisors and seek some new advice from those who intimately know our potential.

If I can be bold enough, I would suggest that the following is the only successful way to proceed. Begin with a clean slate which will involve halting all climate change abatement programs and recognise that whatever we produce will require increasing amounts of low-cost power and water.

We should aim to have the cheapest power in the world and to achieve this we must start building hydro power stations on most of our rivers. These dams would have multiple benefits, namely water conservation, flood control, hydro power production and recreation possibilities, and yes, I do mean most if not all our rivers.

Because of Australia’s unique geographic position, we are the only country on earth that can efficiently produce all of the crops and raise all of the livestock needed to feed and clothe mankind. We are also home to all of the minerals and compounds for everything that man uses to produce his needs.

The answer to all of the government’s conundrums relating to increasing productivity, getting all Australians into permanent work, and balancing the budget are the same?

Play to our strength. Do what we do best. Do what we have proven for generations that we are good at. That is feeding an increasing world population.

That world population is growing at around 70 million people per year which is as many as we currently feed each year. We are presently overlooking a growing market which could keep Australia prosperous for decades and we would be using skills honed to world’s best practice by what are the best and most adaptive and efficient farmers in the world.

The projects required to achieve this massive increase in agricultural production are within our present capacity and the money required to finance them is readily available, because repayment of loans is guaranteed from the sale of cheap hydro power, just as we paid for the Snowy Scheme.

Presently, Australia only has 4.1 per cent of its landmass considered arable and less than half of one per cent of our land irrigated, we have huge potential for the expansion of agricultural production. As we also have farmers who use world best practice to be the most efficient food and fibre producers in the world, we have huge potential to boost productivity manyfold. As our arable land use is only 4.1 per cent of our country and we are presently only using around 6 per cent of our water run-off and coupled to this the fact that most of our excess water and fertile land is in a Mediterranean climate zone, our potential for increased production which begets increased productivity is huge. We could lead the world just by playing to our strengths and forgetting hollow, wishful thinking like ‘artificial intelligence’, almost sounds oxymoronic to this old Bushy.

So, Mr Albanese and your advisors, it is time to drop the pusillanimous meandering and play to Australia’s proven strengths. Forget the muddled thinking of your ‘productivity round table’, and just ‘get around to it’. That is get around to implementing real production boosting schemes that have already been researched, assessed and costed.

The first is the Burdekin Valley Scheme in central Queensland, sometimes called the Bradfield Scheme, after its original proponent John Bradfield. This scheme would at full capacity hold 8,700,000 megalitres of water adjacent to a vast fertile flood plain. With an annual yield of over two million megalitres it would, according to figures produced by the NSW Irrigators Council, generate 15,200 jobs and farm gate production of over $2 billion.

Secondly, the Upper Clarence Scheme, which has been fully assessed would capture over six million megalitres of water for use in the vast Clarence Valley and produce more cheap hydro power than the Snowy Scheme.

Thirdly, the Chowilla Dam on the lower Murray River would have a footprint across three States, a capacity of around five million megalitres. The annual yield of about three million megalitres would generate twenty-two thousand jobs and farm gate production of three billion.

Prime Minister, it is time to leave your ‘round table’ and get ‘around to it’. That is play to our strengths. Get on with feeding a growing world population and bask in the appreciation and income which will follow.