This pandemic offers an opportunity for us to change the way we do business with the world. Trump has been wrestling with China over the trade imbalance, but has not adjusted America's manufacturing base due to the inherent difference in wages between American and Chinese workers. We are in a similar position with our Asian neighbours. However, there are other ways we can manage globalization differences. For example, as Ross Garnaut has pointed out in his book, "Superpower- Australia's low carbon opportunity", we can use renewable energy to our advantage. This is becoming more evident as the oil prices fall due to sharply reduced demand; however, this is a temporary position, until the demand returns after the end of the pandemic. What we can do is to rebuild our manufacturing industry through government assistance, as demonstrated in this era of uncertainty. Secondly, we can all help by buying Australian owned and made products and services. For example, Australian car batteries are bought from Korea- why can't we manufacture them here? Amazon has entered our markets and taken sales away from Australian suppliers of books and other items. Why should we be so complacent? All it requires is for Australians to buy Australian goods and services, and to reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of both. Once we were a proud nation, and built our industries and initiative on trust in our capabilities. What has gone wrong?

Oh dear, Ross Garnaut… you need to read more broadly that that buffoon old chap. I suppose your going to start saying the COVID-19 will drive us all to solar and a sustainable earthy, reliant ( ever more so on rare metals needed to build all the batteries we will need?

I'm fearful of a return to business as usual. Terms like snap back & reform mean a transference of more wealth up to the super wealthy hoarding & controlling minority.

Only progressive policies that take Australia forward.

We see the regressive right saying we will all have to pay & even push for increasing the GST. Why implement damaging and regressive policies that would further entrench inequality & lead to further collapses in the economy.

Any pay back should be in the form of good well paid secure employment for all. A real investment in the future.

We will have to expand the public service & in doing so recognise the need to no longer outsource jobs to private sector on the pretext of savings when in fact it just delivers windfalls to shareholders in good times & reliance on govt handouts in bad times.The same can be said of privatised essential services like banks, health care, aged & child care, energy, transport ie all great at socialising costs but capitalising profits. They win we lose.

Neo liberal idiologies need to be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Some goods we cannot make. We can however produce a lot as we once used to make just about everything. Costs wages etc allowed it to be stolen off us. Good companies making great products have as a result of globalisation disappeared from our ownership. We need to rethink Fair Trade not Free Trade & consider the costs of using offshore slavery & subsidised polluting freight in goods made offshore.

Who pays for this? No one. Australia a sovereign country cannot go broke. What we spend (debt) = an asset elsewhere. This asset mustn't end up in a Wall Street bank as we would stupidly end up paying. We could spend trillions opening up Australia building water storages, pipelines, dams, ports, high speed rail, new cities that would attract workers & provide for new industries & for trillions invested the returns would be 10 or 20x over a longer term.

Covid19 is a nasty wake up call to reset all our values.

Cyclone,
Thank you your post, it's encouraging to see more & more sensible people posting here!
What do you think about a National Service scheme for the young 18-20/years old unemployed single people ?

Mr O. Which are we talking about, the leaked experiment or the meltdown?
The meltdown's our own. Well some of us anyway.

Only progressive policies that take Australia forward.
HARPOLDIE,
Well, that means we'll first have to change the mentality of the regressing Progressives. How do YOU think that can be done ?
I think we'll need to progressively reduce the salaries of bureaucrats, freeze blue collar wages,
establish a Pension fund, establish a National Service & focus more on the revival of small towns.
Unless we agree to become a user-pays society, we'll not improve anything !