Democracy and the market: mainstream support for organisations that oppose GM

There is empirical evidence that citizen-supported NGOs like the Public Health Association of Australia, the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Network of Concerned Farmers, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Greenpeace , GeneEthics, and the Independent Science Panel, have widespread and mainstream electoral support.

REFS:

1. ‘Australians Find It Easy Being Green’, Roy Morgan Research, 2000, Finding No. 3309, published in The Bulletin, 13 June 2000
2. ‘Investigation Into Community Attitudes About Climate Change’, Australian Climate Action Network, 2002
3. ‘The Hydra-headed Monster’: Australian non-government organisations as danger to democracy, Tim Thornton, 2002, Overland 168, pp 28-33

But so far (at the time of writing), in a closed-shop meeting, the Victorian government has only consulted with the Monsanto-funded Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). Such lobby organisations as the IPA are not representative of the electorate or of the market. It could be strongly argued that the Victorian Government’s meeting with this group, which campaigns to overturn the GM moratorium, is undemocratic. This group does not represent the views of citizens, or citizen interest. Meeting with the IPA makes no electoral sense, either. Voters don’t want GM.