Yabby,

My issue with education systems is that they are training generations of students to be consumers of imported products (just like their teachers), but not producers or innovators.

In government departments, the mindset has also become “import is best”. As an example: I have personally known of police officers complaining that they were given a Holden to use and not an imported car such as a Mihtsubisi. They said that they had a difficult job to do and deserved better than a Holden.

The excuse that wages are too high is not an acceptable excuse, because wage rates in Australia have now fallen below wage rates in other countries that we import from (and the education system importing software from Germany is an example).

The excuse that population numbers are too low is also not an excuse with over 20 million people now in the country.

*Why brass, made from our zinc & copper, should be cheaper in Asia than Australia escapes me*

Hasbeen, I think you will find that this has alot to do with the
local pricing system and a lack of competition. Companies commonly
don't base their pricing on their costs, but on what the market will
bear. So they sell locally and achieve a higher margin, then
sell internationally at a much lower price, which gives them volume.

Steel is one of those examples. The international price of steel
is around 600 $ a tonne, but try and buy it for that locally.
Unless the locals have some Chinese import breathing down their
necks, they will charge many times that.

Vanna, what you are saying is that Govts should use taxpayers money
to pick winners. We have gone away from that, its too expensive
for taxpayers.

What we lack is entrepreneurs here, to develop things that you
talk about. They need a reason to do it here. There is not one.

We already have close to full employment

Yabby,
We have 600,000 unemployed. We also have many, many people living off the taxpayer, most of whom have no interest in using local Australia products, but use taxpayer's money to import items from other countries.

Australia could actually cut back completely on its foregin aid, and still be ahead of other coutries in providing funding to other nations, because we import so much.

Our imports could be our foregin aid.

Vanna, some people are simply unemployable. In WA they are
struggling to find restaurant staff, welders, meat workers,
the list is endless.

Today our unemployed have the option of working or not. You
won't force them to work, if they decide not to.

You'll fill the high paying, cushy jobs, with all the perks.
But try filling those lower paying jobs.

I know plenty of people who claim a disability pension. They
will work for cash, but they have no intentions of getting
out of bed each morning, to rush to work.

So at around 5% offial unemployment, it can be considered as
just about full employment. There will always be some churn
of people mobing between jobs, or getting reskilled etc.

Well Yabby,
The unemployed could be used as a resource for Australia. Go past a Centerlink office and try to find the "Made In Australia" stickers.

There probably won't be any, so Centerlink could start to encourage (or enforce) welfare recipients to buy Australian made products.

Centerlink staff could also be encouraged (or enforced) to buy Australian made products.

That would be using government employees as a resource or asset.

Other government employees and taxpayer funded teachers might eventually follow the lead of Centerlink staff.

*so Centerlink could start to encourage (or enforce) welfare recipients to buy Australian made products.*

So Vanna, you want to force already poor Australians, into a massive
drop in their already low standard of living, by being forced
to buy far more expensive and often shoddy products. That is hardly
fair on them. It is in fact the poor, who benefit most from
globalistation.

http://www.innovation.gov.au/section/aboutdiisr/factsheets/pages/australia'sexportsfactsheet.aspx

and

http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/trade_investment.html

Clearly your assumption that without coal we would be doomed, or
that we don't export manufactured products, is wrong.

Perhaps they are just things that are not in front of your nose
every day, like everyday consumer goods.

Trade benefits everyone. From those whom we buy and those to whom
we sell