The people of Australia overwhelmingly want proper labelling of food products so that we can take an ethical stance when it comes to palm oil content, or a health choice when it comes to avoiding GM content.

We are being denied even this small request by what can only be called ‘spineless’ politicians from both major parties, and we now know why.

Australia is being held to ransom by the World Trade Organisation and it seems that even a wealthy, strong country like ours is not immune from threats of trade sanctions.

We are livid with anger that Trade Minister Emerson can only cite potential trade wars and sanctions, and costs of labelling to big business, while effectively consigning the unique orang-utan to extinction.

How can he and the Food and Grocery Council CEO sleep at night?

The Australian people who care about flora and fauna are horrified to have people like this dictating obnoxious ‘greed and profit first’ agendas which are bringing us all into disrepute.

We should be standing up to the WTO and saying that we value our standard of living, our decent wage and working conditions, and the quarantine laws and government regulations which allow us to trust our local food supply.

How can Australia fairly compete against countries which have none of these conditions?

All the things that we have worked so hard for, and value, are being eroded by so-called globalisation, and we are all going to suffer as a result.

In our opinion, there is only one way to stop this and that is to vote for anyone beside the two major parties.

Thank God for people like Nick Xenophon, Bob Brown, Bob Katter, Bill Heffernan and Dick Smith who are still making their voices heard, and reflecting the anguish of the people of this country.

Alex Hodges and Ray Linkevics

Birdwood