Flying under false colours in the Australian Hamburger Wars: bullied orphan and financial beggar stagger forward

Any Google search will uncover the ongoing Australian Hamburger Wars, as town after town resists the idea of multinational fast food giant McDonald's in their midst and suburb after suburb complains about the litter and anti-social behaviour associated with McDonald's stores.

There is a subtext to the fight between residents of one small Australian town and the McDonald's Corporation over its development application for a 24hr drive through store in Treelands Drive, Yamba on a commercial property currently valued at $2.7 million.

In the face of strong opposition from the townfolk McDonald's Australia is trying to paint itself as not receiving a fair go. Additionally it is rumoured that connections of the corporate landowner are 'confiding' that this commercial development is needed to help that company meet its own financial obligations to investors because it is currently experiencing difficulties in some vague unstated fashion.

Now McDonald's Australia was reported to have doubled its profits in the last financial year to $364 million and dominates the fast food hamburger industry globally with an estimated 90% of market share. It would scarcely miss removing Yamba from its current global expansion plans as it seeks to capitalise on fluctuating land prices.

While in 2009 the landowner released an annual report and fund update which indicate a reasonably healthy financial status, with a predominately commercial, retail and investment property portfolio valued at $312.6 million, $13,392,541 in non-direct property assets, an 8% vacancy rate on par with the rest of the country and, on-going monthly distributions to investors despite what the global financial crisis did to other Australian property trusts (fund members received or were entitled to receive distributions of $11,519,064 for the period ended 30 June 2009).

So in fact what we have here is a large multinational playing the bullied orphan child for public consumption and a successful investment corporation alleged to be privately donning beggar's rags in an apparent effort to sway local opinion and presumably the votes of Clarence valley shire councillors.