Ramsey Food Processing and Stuart Bruce Ramsey's response to recent court proceedings which went against them resulted in an announcement that 'Ramsey Group' was closing the South Grafton abattoir and moving its meat processing business to Casino with the loss of around 200 jobs from the Clarence Valley economy.
Ramsey has existing business interests in Casino as Ramsey Wholesale Meats Pty Ltd and Ramsey Holdings Pty Ltd are already based there.
Hot on the heels of various court judgments (including a finding of contempt, a $130,000 fine and a order to compensate sacked workers) a Ramsey spokesperson attempted to blame state government for the decision to abandon Grafton in favour of Casino.
The local response to this explanation of a move which is going to hit the bottom line of many Grafton businesses was quick and definite - Ramsey had only himself to blame.
That the Nationals find this a politically sensitive issue is evidenced by the extraordinary assertion of Clarence Duty MLC, Rick Colless, that the O'Farrell Government was prepared to subvert the authority of the Court by dismissing the fines imposed by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court in August last year.
As Mr. Ramsey has apparently rejected this offer one can only suppose that he was angling for a higher level of financial support from the NSW Government than that represented by this proposed waiver.
Leaving the NSW Nationals attempting to blame the punitive measures that the previous government had imposed upon them, the fines that they had imposed upon them for the loss of so many local jobs. Rather than placing the blame squarely where it belongs -on Ramsey's poor business decisions.
As well as chasing Ramsey cap in hand to see if they can throw more money at him, as the political pain widens in the Clarence electorate and the epitaph mongrels is freely tossed about:
Nationals' State Leader and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner was already working on a "co-ordinated response" to the abattoir closure, he said.
The Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services would seek a meeting with the owners of the Ramsey Abattoir next week, a spokesman for Mr Stoner said.
"This meeting will involve discussions about the circumstances of the abattoir's closure and determine whether the NSW Government can assist any businesses and individuals affected by the job losses that may result from the proprietor's decision to relocate to Casino," Mr Stoner said.
[The Daily Examiner, Abattoir jobs cut Closure is 'final straw': Small businesses are already struggling: Chamber,22 October 2011,p1]
While the Nationals candidate in the forthcoming by-election (and well-known supporter of the former Howard Goverment's WorkChoices laws) Chris Gulaptis also ignores the Ramsey Group's long history of worker exploitation and Stuart Ramsey's lucrative horse racing interests when he offers this excuse for Ramsey in The Casino Times on 20 October 2011:
"This is a sad outcome for everyone involved and really marks the end of a long and difficult situation going back a number of years over some waste management issues...
It is my understanding that significant investment would have been required in the plant to meet environmental requirements and that, given the economic uncertainty both in Australia and globally, the owners were not able to make that investment."
Of course, the Coalition has always been a friend to Stuart Ramsey. This is Liberal MLC Charlie Lynn lobbying on the floor of the NSW Parliament in 2001:
The news for Mr Ramsey's abattoir is that his business costs for workers compensation are about to double. I will say that again for the benefit of Country Labor members: Mr Ramsey's workers compensation business costs are about to double......
In the last three years the Grafton abattoir has paid $500,000 a year in workers compensation premiums. It has had to pay out on claims of $120,000. It cares for its workers' safety and welfare—they are family, it is a genuine concern.
UPDATE - Some background:
A year when Stuart Ramsey actually liked a NSW Government - it was giving him money.
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