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Labor's view of Australia - a nation of shopkeepers? : Comments
By Arthur Thomas, published 21/4/2009Australians can do without the rhetoric, waffling and political expediency. Australia needs a reality check and a clear crisis management plan.
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We need as a nation to produces our own socks and jocks and our own refrigerators, washing machines, nails and screws etc.
Between developed nations there are few comparative advantages and importing from counties with slave labour conditions is no different to having slaves within our own borders. Business utilising factories in such places want you to overlook that fact.
An industry in which we are up with the best, the steel industry, is struggling because there is little or no demand for steel from the whitegoods and fastening industries. Even reinforcing steel for the building industry is being imported (probably dumped is an appropriate description).
Surely a tariff is warranted on imported goods if it compensates our common weal for the employee taxes which would be paid if our unemployed were employed in manufacturing industries (if such existed or were re-established). Presently we lose two ways; we pay unemployment benefits and the unemployed pay no tax.
Years ago, a parliamentarian, writing as a "Modest member" advocated that we would be better off if we paid our clothing and footwear employees to stay home and instead imported such items. Starting down that slippery slope contributed to replacing real industry with the financial and services industries and we can now see the outcome of doing just that.
Why do our politicians believe that it make sense to import, for example, Honda cars produced in Thailand while our own employed pay unemployment benefits to unemployed steel workers and vehicle assemblers. Certainly Australia should be producing a more appropriate range of cars than we do currently but any Australian industrial manufacturing or assembly activity up with current world's best practice should receive adequate protection (to remain in busines and keep up with total demand).