If that occurs then we could be well placed with some desirable commodities to export? What we don't do so well is manufacturing! And will need once those still profit producing mines are just great big holes in the ground! And given we've possibly hit the minerals peak? In as little as 2-3 decades?

Could we replace the income mining now gives us with manufactured commodities? NO! Why? Cos, we wait as always for someone else to do it or hold us by the widdle hand as we venture as always some half baked plan? And obvious in our recently departed car manufacturing industry that was a factory scattered all over the joint! When rational planning should have brought them under one roof or single site!

And if intelligently led, that could still be an indigenous car/plane and rocket building industry, just based on carbon fibre and all electric. Rockets could be fired by rail guns then powered by locally invented scram jets.

Ditto planes, trains, trucks, tractors etc.!
Alan B.

'And if intelligently led'

Well that just shot down that likelihood.....
Could all of the people believing they have that managerial capability
given the capacity of those you would need to manage....please stand up!