No one mentions the trade deficit when all out cars are imported. Also all the other small industries that service industries that service this manufacturing. Abbott is quite happy to subsidise Qantas. No questions asked.

The Unions need to pull their heads in because OS workers have nowhere near their scams and benefits.

Agenda 21 had its origins back in 1968 to de-industrialise the West and make the ownership of property and assets impossible .The catch word was "sustainability" and they have used environmentalism, as their avenue of suppression. They are a long way toward achieving their aims.

Senator Anne Bressington did not at first believe how evil and pervasive this policy is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sES6_OXPwOU

Hi GY,

This article is essentially about polls and opinion, but it must be accepted that opinions are formulated based up on the information available through the media.

Sadly this has little to do with the actual issues faced by motor vehicle manufacturers in Australia.

Motor manufacturing is not adequately separated from other forms of manufacturing, some of which are doing well.

Automotive is a global business, as such Australia’s sector must view itself in the global context.

Global Market Costs; Primarily energy, labour, exchange rate variations and supply chain.

In market terms Australia produced 474,000 cars in 1970, 374,122 cars in 2004 and 209,730 cars in 2012. Global ranking somewhere between 28th and 30th. Not only has our domestic market collapsed, it plays a minor role in the globalised export market.

Add to this increased energy costs, poor exchange rates, protectionism and relative labour costs. (CoDB, Costs of Doing Business)

The EU has a captive volume market without ERV’s, it’s all Euro’s, it has very short supply chains, Pan-European trade, no tariffs or trade barriers but it has very high energy costs. Who would have thought that VW’s latest car plant would be built in the USA? Who would have thought that developing nations could “get the jump” on Australia in car manufacturing? Who would have thought that South Korea, China, India and the heavily subsidized and tariff laden EU markets could put us out of business?

The USA is repatriating much of it’s industrial revenues back to the USA from low labour cost markets, back to a domestic, low energy cost home base. The EU is paying twice as much as the USA for energy.

Capital and labour resources in Australia must be redirected to viable new opportunities. These may be in “other” manufacturing, services, technology and infrastructure.

To do this, firstly the reality of car manufacturing in Australia must be accepted as high risk, as evidenced by globalized companies withdrawing. The dreamtime of belief that Australia can possibly impact a global car industry must end.

Time to stop polling and accept reality.

Thank you for the article.

I guess the fact that the eventual closing down of our 75 year old car manufacturing industry doesn't take place for several years has resulted in the citizens of our once great nation showing indifference to the situation.

But just wait until the axe actually falls and people and journalists will suddenly run around like headless chooks crying out, "What happened? Who took our car industry?"

Oh well, it doesn't matter I guess. America will own us lock, stock and barrel by then and we'll all speak American!

Have a great day won'you-all! YuuSssHay!

Australia R.I.P.

Correction David G. China will own us lock stock and barrel. The USA has been looted by their financial system with a complicit Congress.

Barnaby Joyce wants to initiate a new Rural Bank for the farmers. Watch Abbott knock that on the head quick smart. Hockey,Turnbull and Abbott will never go against the will of the big bankers.

So much for free market when banks are concerned. Remember when the Bank of Mitsubishi wanted to come here and were stopped by our Govt?

Goodness me. The resignation here!. If this US exported ideology was at the very least practised by the US it would then merely suffer from the characteristic of being wrong. But as this purity is absent in the US but none the less promoted as gospel, it is patently malicious.

Whatever the polls may say, it would be historically astounding for the coalition to survive a single term if the automotive and component industry were to depart. A half wit ALP in election mode would paint it for the naive ideological vandalism that it is.

I and I think much of the thinking electorate believed the coalition was simply engaging in a game of chicken. That at the 11 th hour they will come to some kind of arrangement. It seems however, that I have given them far too much credit. They actually believe this nonsense.

I imagine Shorten suddenly sees his chance will arrive much sooner than seemed possible only a few months ago.