Not a problem.

The ABS projects a "net gain of one international migration every 2 minutes and 36 seconds, leading to an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 30 seconds."

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/1647509ef7e25faaca2568a900154b63?OpenDocument

So this is not all bad news, because Australia still has "jobs and growth", and there is still some real estate left to sell to immigrants.

The real issue is whether Sydney and Melbourne can absorb the immigrants, as few other areas can.

As for areas such as SA, they will have to start an iron ore mine or a coal mine.

Or learn to suck the wealth out of areas that do have iron ore mines and coal mines, as Sydney and Melbourne has learnt to do.

The recent nuclear fuel cycle Royal Commission tried to help by recommending SA take nuclear waste from overseas. After some initial outlay the mechanics of which were vague this enterprise was supposed to not only employ thousands of people but eliminate state taxes. So far it's looking like going nowhere.

Nonetheless the potential exists. Olympic Dam is the world's largest uranium deposit and SA lost its nuclear virginity with the Maralinga A-bomb tests. If SA went nukular and there was adequate transmission not only east but west across the Nullarbor SA could help Australia phase out coal. Instead we have fantasies about batteries powering the nation. SA could be rich but the dreamers choose for that not to happen.

The problem is compounded by an idiotic labor government in power for 16 yrs. The massive expenditure on renewable power has drastically increased the cost of business.

I guess that NSW will have to accept refugees from socialist incompetence.

Will the SA cancer spread? Any casual reading of the Australian newspaper would suggest it would, (until trying to balance the news of huge bank profits).

According to that newspaper, the "Golden God of China" will save our bacon...if not for Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull incompetence.

Here is a suggestion to the management of the Australian, run your paper as a candidate next election!

An afterthought:

The Australian....sophisticated and scurrilous ....!

Good point Diver,

I don't think the cancer will spread, but it will kill the host in SA. The story below is the type of stuff News Corp is feeding its shrinking readership.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/rick-goodman-how-a-year-in-adelaide-opened-my-eyes/news-story/f0c995a726d3d3605289a078ba2a5b0f

I remember the Bjelke-Petersen PR spin in the Courier Mail but its got nothing on this. Some of the pro SA comments are produced by a PR agency. Jeeez!

But the real problem is old plant, old thinking, entrenched parochialism, a do-nothing Liberal party in SA and the fact it has been living off other state's GST contributions (soon to change). 50 per cent of SA gov revenue comes from Canberra. The state can't continue going on like this.

Gee the are a lot of posters who don't let their ignorance be a barrier to posting!

@interactive you can only mine where there is economically mined ore. Arrium as mentioned in Malcolm's piece is an Iron ore miner, in fact they are working the oldest iron ore mines in Australia. you may have notice that commodity prices are down across the board.

@Taswegian yeap I just can't believe that we are happy to mine it, happy to dump it but not happy to use it! it defies logic.

@Shadow Minister power prices where high before renewable s, they haven't helped but in SA the transmission cost are very high as well. As Malcolm said in his piece and i agree with him, it's not just the hopelessness of the labor party it's also that fact that the Liberals have been unelectable in that same period and still are.

Australia has embraced free trade like no other country and we are now reaping up we have sowed. Some one thought it was more important for people on the dole to be able to buy 64 inch tv's then was for them to have a job.

As a South Australian, I agree with Malcolm King. We are stuffed. Horrors are revealed weekly; the totally inept but still arrogant premier is syaing he is 'sorry', but sorry doesn't do it anymore because he cannot do any better. And, the Liberal oppositions is a dead duck with a very, very uninspiring leader. We haven't had a competent government since Tom Playford. It's all been downhill since then. The most shocking thing of all is we cannot even save little children from death by drug-addled, feral parents.

Go to to hospital for chemotherapy, and they give you the wrong dose. And just this morning, we heard that a women who turned up Lyell McEwen hospital for her regular chemotherapy treatment was turned away because they run out of the chemicals! It took two days for them to order in so that she could receive the treatment.

The only good thing about SA, is the Crows.

Malcolm 'Paddy' King

SA is not alone, and there is not much separating SA, WA, QLD and Tasmania.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-02/state-of-the-states-report-played-down-wa-treasurer-mike-nahan/7375980

Thankfully, NSW and VIC seem to be hanging on, although the main industry in those areas seems to be concentrated around Sydney and Melbourne and selling finance, insurance and of course real estate, which means they try and make money out of thin air.

Although NSW does seem to have run into difficulties selling public assets, as it can't seem to find a buyer except China.

The longer term hope is that the 700 immigrants per day being brought into Australia improves the economy, although it hasn't yet.

And the other hope is that Australians can overcome their racism and sell more public assets to China.

Predictable, given recalcitrant political itrangesence! I think the problem has been all too clearly illuminated, just none of the solutions! Nick may well be a new messiah, and as quickly nailed to a cross by the presiding establishment as the last one?

Nick is a dyed in the wool neoliberal welded to conservative values? And even with an enlarged political presence! Patently powerless to do very much than rob Peter to pay Paul?

What we need is unconventional cooperative capitalism comrade? Given every conventional economic lever, pulled by those those right or left of centre has created the, guaranteed to fail, problem we have today!

And more of the same is like doing what you've always done while expecting a different result!? And the best available definition of insanity, or an outcome create by the inmates who took over the asylum? Cooperative capitalism is just that! And kick started by a government finally willing to preference and finance employee owned and operated free market dependant private enterprise! Given that's exactly what it is! Why co-ops? Well first and foremost, they are the most cost efficient private enterprise model a free market economy can embrace!

Co-ops largely survived the Great Depression essentially intact! And stood exclusively as the only free market, private enterprise, model to do so! This model allows enterprising shareholders to work as their own employees on the shop or factory floor and share in the success or failure as par for the course.

Meaning, the drones and roadblocks/production or sales bottlenecks are quickly identified and removed or eliminated!

Along with the most common causes of new start up failures. Undercapitalization and lack of adequate management skills!?

There are some serious niche markets the world over i.e.,right hand drive electric cars, waiting for entrepreneurs to fill them, which is what we could do with the following paradigm? T.B.C

Hi Malcolm, I'd be interested to hear your views on what pragmatic alternative policies could be implemented? No-one wants to see mass unemployment, poverty and their associated social ills. Given your thesis that there is no reasonable opposition other than NX's protectionism, would there best be a community based policy platform or grass roots approach? Maybe our reliance upon government to do everything has given us a bad mindset, is the startup, distributed small business approach better?

The government borrows like there's no tomorrow! My preference would be via the sale of self terminating government guaranteed thirty year bonds! Seriously there's trillions looking for just such investments! Which could offset a relatively modest return by giving the income derived, a tax free status?

And given none of this money is currently invested here? We'd be no worse off, but rather, set ourselves up to earn more income via income earning infrastructure and by investing in our own people and their better ideas!

[The basis of the Celtic economic miracle, before it was destroyed by debt laden speculators and their inclusion in the domestic real estate market! And to be avoided as if our entire economic future depended on not repeating this moronic mistake!]

That economic miracle outcome would be assisted if we just bite the bullet and use some of these funds to build new localised off grid power projects as can't lose public or co-op owned and operated nuclear energy projects; but only as cheaper than coal thorium powered projects, prefered, given there are no weapons spin off and they produce far less vastly less toxic waste, which is suitable a long life space batteries!

The government needs to get back into the business of business!

We also need to embrace genuine tax reform rather than the convoluted clayton's calamities that have been rolled out to date!

Decent tax reform would remove incentive to avoid paying a fair share of a common burden and properly structured, would cost more to avoid than pay!

We also need to give immediate priority to regional self sufficiency in defence! In every aspect, manufacture, materials and manpower.

WE need to understand that the next conflict and there will be one, will be fought by remote control; and or, autonomous robots and drones.

That being so, we need to massively beef up our related R+D, and war machine manufacture, materials, repair and manpower capability, all of which could rely on committed cooperative enterprise and self interest! The time for talking is done!
Alan B.

Speaking of Holidays From Hell. South Australia! Don't go there.

Where waiters drooled. And Nuns' knuckles draggeth.

Bye,bye Adelaide. No NSW power for you. Your concentrated Greens and Lefties can sort it out.

McCackie,
Your whinging may have seemed credible if there were a direct connection between the SA and NSW grids. But there isn't and it doesn't.

____________________________________________________________________________________

plantagenet,
I see you've never been to Kangaroo Island!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Alan B.,
Fear of debt is a big part of the problem. But investing in unproven power technology is unlikely to be the best solution. Small nuclear is likely to work out more expensive than solar power.

____________________________________________________________________________________

morebento,
Reports of Nick Xenophon's protectionism are greatly exaggerated. But one thing we should be doing is investing billions in molten oxide electrolysis research, as this could eventually revive our steel industry.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Cobber the hound,
Free trade is a good thing, but it's not a substitute for good economic management, nor even for knowing what good economic management is. Until the government stops chasing surpluses for their own sake, the economy will remain in trouble.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Malcolm 'Paddy' King,
For decades Australia's interest rates have been set too high for SA. The 50% of revenue coming from Canberra (which AIUI actually includes GST revenue from SA) is inadequate compensation for this.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Shadow Minister,
'Twas their Liberal predecessors selling off SA's power infrastructure that's most to blame for making it so expensive, and indeed for keeping the Libs in opposition since.

Yes Malcolm, you are right. SA is leading the way down.
We will all follow a couple of years behind.
Our problem is the politicians do not understand what is going on.
Even the worldwide decline in GDP, negative interest rates, enormous
debt by governments, business & individuals does not raise an eyebrow.

SA will start moving into a new form of economy as the standard capital
model becomes obsolete. We have one advantage, we can produce food that
the rest of the world will happily buy IF international trade continues.
Our future is in agriculture.

We will need nuclear power eventually to run this new economy.
While we get on asap with that we will have to use our coal resources
to build them and the solar & wind systems that are affordable.
South Aus could become the centre of nuclear industry and power and
supply other states with backup power.

However even with that project under way we will have to become a
rural production economy.
We will have to be self supporting in almost every way as Europe
may well be in chaos with war with moslem countries or civil wars.
China also may have problems with their declining economy.

With the unreliable inadequate windymill power supply how are they going to build the submarines at the Sth Aust shipyards ?

The power cable link to the ever reliable 24/7 Victorian coal fired power generators is absolutely vital and essential, just like Tasmania.

Bazz

The much lauded free trade agreements are more likely to operate against Australia.

The report "Economic benefits of Australia’s North Asian FTAs" shows that while free trade agreements could boost exports by 0.5% to 1.5%, they are also likely to boost imports by 2.5%.

http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/economic-modelling-of-australias-north-asia-ftas.pdf

So Australia goes backwards...yet again.

For Australia to increase its agricultural exports, it will have to find new arable land and new water supplies.

Like...find another country.

Maybe the ice cap on Antarctica will melt, and revel land suitable for agriculture.

Maybe not.

Meanwhile, the arable land in Australia is being eaten up with housing development, and Australia now places most importance on increasing the population through immigration to create urban sprawl.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sprawl-eating-us-out-of-house-and-homes-20100515-v5dd.html

South Australia could lead the way and generate very significant business and employment by fabricating about 2,000 km of 4 metre wide x 7 metre deep steel aqueduct to harvest and bring wet season water from northern Queensland's Gregory Range into upper catchment of the Murray Darling Basin, situated inland from Fraser Island Qld.

It's not that far. The estimated 2000km length is to allow winding very gradually downhill along western escarpment of the Great Dividing Range. No pumps. No pipes.
The aqueduct should be all steel but SA would need a modern steel mill, that such a project would likely pay for.
Bolted epoxy camouflage coated sheet steel. Suspended with pile supports and anchors.

It's not impossible. Or can anyone prove otherwise?

Surely SA should look into this apparent opportunity for the various state food and fibre producers that would benefit from such infrastructure.

The system has been suggested in the Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper - Supporting Information - Green Paper - Index F.
The ABC does not seem interested in investigating and reporting this project opportunity (or not).

The system should also help bring water for Broken Hill.
Steel and ore company and SA and Aus business would be stimulated.

I welcome any reasonable criticism, especially if it will help to kick such opportunity forward to generate business and employment in our country.

Can you just imagine how the Greenies would protest against such a development.

All those endangered frogs and thingys.

JF Aus

Who in SA is starving because SA can't grow enough food?

Forget about exporting agricultural products.

For every export there is an import, and the last time I looked, exports of agricultural products were piffling compared to other exports, and Australia also had a trade deficit because it imports so much.

Most commodity prices are falling, and the countries that Australia currently relies on for agricultural exports (such as Indonesia and China) are also gearing up for self-sufficiency.

And about 300 farmers per week are leaving the land because the costs (such as electricity and fertilizer costs) make farming uneconomic.

Far better for Australia to immediately reduce the immigration rate to reduce the rate of importation.

PollyFolly,

You have made a good call there.

To tell you the truth I cannot imagine how greenies could justifiably protest development of this water harvesting and aqueduct system. This system would provide water for endangered frogs and other animals as well as drought stricken wetlands.

This suggested system is designed for the environment, including to provide nutrition for seafood dependent island people, and it is specifically intended to supply water to The Coorong that is supposed to supply food to seafood dependent ocean animals, whales, fish, birds.

Millions of mutton birds have been dying in mass starvation events along coast extending from Mackay Qld to SA and around Tasmania but the seriousness is being played down without scientific evidence. e.g the ABC reported 2013 mutton bird mortality due to population surge, the SMH reported mortality starting at Coffs Harbour, but in reality it has occurred from Mackay Qld and southward all the way to SA and around Tas.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-13/dead-mutton-bird-on-fisherman27s-beach2c-torquay/5089308

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/dead-birds-not-just-a-freak-event-20131030-2wgzd.html

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/dead-mutton-birds-washing-our-beaches/2058707/

Millions of dead mutton birds are a canary-in-the-coal-mine warning.
Many SA fishing livelihood's have already been lost, so too in amnateur fishing tourism and associated community economy business.

Australia is now importing over 70% of it's fish. Too bad whales cannot get to costly fish shops and supermarkets.

Truth is there was originally an estimated 100 million Short-tailed Shearwater mutton birds but now estimates indicate less than 17 million.
Truth is devastated ocean coast ecosystems can no longer support even 17 million Shearwaters.
Where does the ABC reported "surge" apply, based on what scientific evidence?

And what about lost livelihood's in SA.
Amateur fishing used to be Australia's biggest participant sport and pro fishing once fed the nation with fresh wild low cost fish.

I think genuine greenies will support remedial development when they realise the true devastated state of the world ocean environment and dire need for sensible solutions.

interactive,

Have you been drinking?
How can you justify saying forget about exporting Australian products?

Why forget about Australian agricultural exports worth $155 Billion a year? Why?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Australia

Australia once "lived off the sheep's back".

Genuine farmers leaving the land should receive government support until causes are established and overcome.

Take the dairy industry.
In Solomon Islands where I am often based a large tin of powdered milk costs SBD$150. Teachers there are paid only about SBD$400 a week. The AUD x SBD exchange rate is about AUD$6.00 to SBD$1.00.
Milk is unaffordable to millions of would be if they could be consumers including many qualified teachers.

It looks to me like the huge dairy-hub multi nationals are squeezing out smaller dairy farmers, similar to the way milk quotas were bought up by the big boys.

Dairy hubs with 20,000 cows form a point source of nutrient overload that with sewage can amount to nutrient pollution feeding algae, damaging water ecosystems to an extent impact is changing weather and natural climate.

Government should wake up. Small dairies can spread manure. Dairy subs are unsustainable. Greed and ignorance is no excuse.

Our dairy farmers need and deserve government assistance so as to remain and prosper in a sustainable way in their industry, especially at this time in history due to devastation of affordable world ocean protein food supply.

Wake up to 5,000 dead babies and 1,500 dead mother in one year has been reported in PNG, just off our shores.
I have evidence anaemia and protein deficiency malnutrition is increasingly involved.
Check out Haiti and other places too, worldwide. Mega millions of would be consumers.
Milk powder protein should be provided as Aid and that would help milk markets.

Why not increase agricultural production and affordable supply instead of letting it collapse?

JF Aus

As exports go up, imports go up also

Our exports have increased almost 7 times since 1995, and so have our imports, to achieve no overall gain.

http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aus/

Agricultural exports are piffling in comparison to other exports, and the returns are becoming less in time.

The so-called record prices for beef last year were the same prices 30 years ago when adjusted for inflation, and when adjusted for inflation, most commodity prices are falling in time, making it more difficult to remain profitable.

Why did CSR sell its sugar mills and leave the sugar industry, why is the biggest cattle station in Australia being sold, why was the ORD river scheme sold, why was the biggest cotton farm in Australia sold?

Not economic is the answer.

interactive,

It appears you are seriously- misinformed.

The link you posted above does not show agricultural exports of a 'mere' $155 Billion a year. Why is that so?
That OEC apparently educational site clearly states iron ore at $60 Billion is (was) the top export of Australia.

Look at the numbers.
How can you say agricultural exports are piffling compared to others?

International trade is normal these days. How could we just sell what we produce and not buy different good that others produce.

For some time now I have suspected multi national effort trying to discredit Australian agricultural production and the only motive I can think of is producers and investors in other countries seeking to increase their business and export sales.

I think Australia should wake up to the world food production and supply economics and especially opportunities including to increase production and export of food and fibre.

Australia is not Silicone Valley and never will be, despite Malcolm turnbull interest in such technology.

Australia clearly has opportunity as a food producing nation, especially due to consequences and up's and down's associated with more severe weather events and seasons worldwide.
There are over 7.3 billion people to feed every day.

As for CSR sugar and the cattle stations and the Ord and cotton operations being sold, I think that is because media has Australia dumbed down.
Overseas investors can see and understand increasing demand on world food and fibre whereas Australians are kept in the dark.
And BS overseas reports available in Australia don't even show the whole truth and background and opportunities.

Even your own thinking behind what you have said on this thread, interactive, seems stymied. You seem disillusioned, not thinking about increasing exports to generate business and employment.

But at least you are interacting here on OLO.

Anyway, why is the A$155 Billion of Australian agricultural exports not showing at the link you provided?

Alan B said;
i.e.,right hand drive electric cars,

Britain and Japan already build right hand drive electric care, the Nissan Leaf.

Interactive mentioner free trade agreements !
What Free Trade Agreements ?
They will very quickly disappear.
Such arrangements have their economic justification destroyed by energy
costs and the loss of different industries advantages in varios markets.
We have enough land for ourselves plus land we use for exports now.
We could increase the extra land and water to the maximum available.

What we are looking at is a wind down in world economic activity.
It does seem to have already started, certainly there are signs that point that way.
Our politicians should be planning for it even if it does not occur just now.

No matter what anybody says or does farming will continue !

JF AUST I have not heard anything else about this idea of bringing North Australian water to the Murray Darling. There was a scheme promoted by Alan Jones that did a similar thing taking water over the Divide into the Murray Darling in Northern NSW.
I would really like to hear more and it really seems to be an idea that could have real merit. Who can assist with sources?

JBowyer,

An outline of this newly productive water infrastructure system can be found within the Australian Government - Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper.
See; Supporting Information - Green P:aper - Index 'F' - Fairfax John C.
Hon. Barnaby Joyce encouraged my input.
I made the submission suggesting government carry out a relevant feasibility study.
Ever since there has been political turmoil including a major election.
At present I am endeavouring to carry out a basic/initial feasibility study.

I am quite surprised the ABC has not investigated and reported potential of this water harvesting and steel aqueduct system, or shown it impossible.
I wonder if other new suggestions of merit are being so ignored by news media.
No wonder wealth and prosperity is going backwards.
No wonder would-be consumers lack adequate income to consume.

I might add on this thread and to the help establish my bona fides, that SA has a background in food and fibre production and engineering including in other Australian states.
SA's the late Bert Knox through Knox and Downs Wilcannia, used to supply stores and equipment to outback stations in NSW, including Tongo where I was made overseer after 3 years as a jackaroo.
When I was just 17 Bert Knox offered to back me on a station but I felt too young.
I understand Bert Knox engineered the steel Hawkesbury River bridge north of Sydney.

I am saying SA and some Australian's do have understanding of steel and engineering and outback rivers and food and fibre production, that can generate business and employment and prosperity.
I think that understanding is more than news controllers have at 'our' ABC.

I am not anti ABC. The ABC employs many good people.

Although unemployment is high in SA the perspective is that certain categories of work have shortages, for example, engineering, artisans, doctors and nurses, teachers etc.

Obviously the world recession over the past 4 years did contribute but our biggest problem relative to unemployment is our education system that is not delivering the skills that the nation requires. In addition to this instead of manufacturing ourselves we are exporting 'raw' materials to other countries who then manufacture themselves and create employment for their citizens.

Secondly we have so many illegal immigrants in this country who are prepared to work for low salaries and as such are employed above our own nationals which impacts negatively on unemployment.

Then we have all the socio-political reasons and economic structures that impact negatively on unemployment. These include, inter alia, aids, poverty, children not going to school, laziness, drugs,poor national and provincial political leadership, bribery, corruption, nepotism and the list just goes on.BEE and AA has also not been successful and has caused many whites with good skills to leave the country and work abroad.
http://www.scmhub.com/diploma-logistics-course