South Australia- Just add (Halliburton) Water

I was suprised to find out last week that the Halliburton engineer for a major (proposed) S.A. water reclamation project had also set up a nut farm in the Murray. There's already one in Canberra, where KBR paves the paths on which the pollies slither, so why would Cheney's Men be setting up a foreign investment opportunity on the banks of a dying river?

[from ABC Australia]

Engineering and construction firm KBR had planned to start planting this month, until its financial partner pulled out due to 'overseas policy issues'.

Tony Reid from KBR says the plans have now been put on hold for a year, during which time it is hoped a pumping station can be built at the site and pipelines laid.

Mr Reid says the project had been held up at the development approval stage because of a native title issue, which forced the relocation of the pumping station.

He says the company is now looking for another financial backer and hopes to begin planting in mid 2007.

I could be wrong, and KBR engineer Tony Reid, could be merely coincidentally working on the two projects simultaneously. Given that Reid's big "baby" has been the 100km diameter Twin Lakes project in the middle of Lake Alexandrina, I was suprised to find him growing hazelnuts at Overland Corner on the U.S. Vice President's behalf. Mr Cheney, many of you will be aware, was the overseer of Halliburton/KBR for many years before running for office, and once was the Secretary for Defence.

The situation led me to this mode of thinking.

What if you had a means to supply water and knew of a lot of arid land? How about if you knew of a few industries that would flourish with the mere addition of an abundant water supply? What profits would you make on investment deals if you monetised the situation before the locals became aware of it? Would you be doing a disservice to your shareholders if you didn't capitalise on the opportunity?

Now subsitute the word "water" for "transport "and apply the questions to the Halliburton-run trans-Australian railway. There's a potential scenario being created in which large portions of Australian soil could, by ways of creating offshore investment opportunites, become totally within the control of the company whose moves were orchestrated by the Vice President of the United States. Mind you, a string of industry-hubbed cities and towns running North to South across the country could do wonders for the country's economy if (a) we can find people to live and work there and (be) the profits remain in Australia to boost the local lifestyle.

Now substitute the words "rocket transport." Now that NASA are going to use Woomera for trials of replacements for the space shuttle, we can anticipate quite a lot of spaceward voyages from S.A. as the Bush Administration pushes it's way towards Mars. Cargoes of building material launched to colonies on the moon, distribution of minerals and water found on asteroids and planets from delivery points in the SA outback might soon be fine investment options. And if we finally manage to render this planet uninhabitable, building space-cities and sending them into orbit suburb by suburt could be extremely big business, not to mention housing refugees from around the planet till we can launch them to their new homes.

Do you, like me, find these South Australian possibilities a bit scary? It could easily happen... if it isn't already.

Then again, my mind might be going nuts.

PS Investors pulling out due to "overseas policy issues" can easily be interpreted as a withdrawal of funds as a protest of Halliburton/KBR's participation in the Occupation of Iraq. Who would have thought that such thoughts occur within the minds of investors? Perhaps investing in a company that profits on death might be beyond the ethics of people placing money in pension funds? You never know your luck...