Muddling through or just a muddle

This book examines the programs introduced by the Australian Government between 1989 and 1998 aimed at responding to inadequate incomes among farmers. The policies were developed and frequently reviewed in the context of the Government''s structural adjustment objectives for the farm sector and related drought response policies. The future of Australian agriculture is being shaped by the Commonwealth''s rural adjustment policies, however there has been little public debate about the direction of these policies. The focus has been on the means and on instrumental goals such as economic efficiency with little consideration given to the environmental and social implications. Australian government policies towards farm poverty provide an insight into the dilemmas of policy making when the policy ends are not clear and different values are represented unequally in the policy process.