SPCA workers are cannon fodder in a different war  Something
very dangerous is happening within the debate over the
government's decision not to 'co-invest' $25 million to upgrade
SPC Ardomona's Shepparton plant.  SPCA workers earning around
$50,000 a year are being used as cannon fodder in the Abbott
government's war against a legitimate enemy – the construction
unions that have pushed up construction costs and engaged in
corrupt activities.  What is at risk now is what should be a
large growth industry – innovative packaged fruit products with
strong export outlooks. The industry around Shepparton looks
likely to be shut down to allow the Abbott government to present
a united front against the union moment (A rogue Liberal spills
the beans on SPCA, January 31).  These two matters must be
untangled and treated separately. Lives, families and
communities are being risked in one sector to pay for the sins
of another. While this decision was justified in terms of SPCA's
'excessive' enterprise bargaining arrange