Indy,

You exhibit such a poor understanding of Australia's trade position, but that's par for the course with you on most subjects, a lack of understanding. Post war Australia under 'Pig Iron' Bob Menzies leadership become a country of lost opportunity. Instead of vigorously pursuing a strong manufacturing sector with exports of Australian produced goods, particularly to niche markets, Menzies was content to simply allow foreign investors to plunder the domestic market with tariff protected local production, example the Australian car industry. The result of this short sighted easy conservative approach was the eventual loss of any possibility of a strong manufacturing base. Today Australia is totally reliant on the export of raw materials to maintain our standard of living.

You should thank China for buying our raw materials, if they didn't, your Aged Welfare payments would cease immediately.

Paul continues to regurgitate left wing talking points about the economic history of Australia's manufacturing industry. Face it, bringing up the false assertions about 'pig iron Bob' wasn't a good start, was it?

Paul asserts that manufacturing under the post-war Menzies government was somehow a failure. But in fact in 1960 manufacturing accounted for 25% of the Australian economy but was down to 12% by 2000. There were lots of reasons for that, not least the insane policies of the ALP and particular Whitlam's moronic tariff cuts of 1973.

Manufacturing in Australia will always face significant headwinds not least because of the high dollar resultant from the exports of non-manufactured goods - ore and food. Those exports keep the dollar high and therefore make manufacturing in Australia uncompetitive.

If we want a large manufacturing industry in Australia (and its not clear why we would) it would require government support to overcome the inherent uncompetitiveness of the high dollar. We could also adopt policies to reduce energy costs which are a major impediment to modern manufacturing processes.

But blaming the current poor state of manufacturing on policies of the 1960s is just plain inane

Trumpster,

Did I insult your sensibilities by slighting the great
demiurge of yours 'Pig Iron' Bob, tut-tut!

You say; "Paul asserts that manufacturing under the post-war Menzies government was somehow a failure. But in fact in 1960 manufacturing accounted for 25% of the Australian economy but was down to 12% by 2000." In the short term, a short 10 to 15 years post war period, with massive protection, what was mostly foreign manufacturing of relatively low tech consumer items in Australia appeared to be a success, 25% Trumpster tells us, but that was illusionary and proved to be unsustainable in the long term. Australian manufacturing was in free fall long before Tumpsters Great Satan Gough came to power, oh how evil was Gough!

Economic simpletons like Trumpster, believe Australia could have a fantastic "Toaster Industry" simply by placing a 10,000% tariff on all imported toasters, forcing up their retail price from $20 to$2000 each. At the same time giving terrific incentives, tax credits, investment allowances etc etc to some "friendly" foreign toaster maker to set up a toaster factory in Australia manufacturing "Aussie" made toasters! Employing 10 people, creating jobs, jobs, jobs. In a short while the 27 million foreign made toasters are cactus, every one could once afford a toaster, would be replaced with 100 locally made toasters, all owned by Gina Rhinoceros, the only person rich enough to afford a toaster, which retail for $1500 each, and totally wiping out the foreign toaster sales. I could go on but anyone with half a brain (that does not include Trumpster) knows where it would all lead to, Australians with no jobs, they all once worked in the shops selling toasters, and no bread to eat, let alone BURNT TOAST!

Blaming Menzies for what the Unions ruined is just plain & simply stupidity seasoned with idiocy !

I notice that both Walmart and Costco are trying to make Chinese suppliers foot the cost of Trumps tariffs, also interesting is that the Walton family that owns Walmart is Christian, but has ties to and donates to Orthodox Jewish causes which are involved in Yeshiva schools that probably help to create more settlers in Israel which assist in he displacement of Palestinians, and in turn lobby for more government funding.
Also Costco was founded by a Jewish person.

Seems they've got no problem with Trump sending 2000 pound bombs to kill Palestinian women and kids but are displeased with the loss of profits due to his tariffs...

- Is it wrong to say it if its a fact?

Paul
"Did I insult your sensibilities by slighting the great
demiurge of yours 'Pig Iron' Bob, tut-tut!"

No you assaulted my desire for the truth. But why would I expect the truth from Paul when he just regurgitates ALP propaganda.

"Australian manufacturing was in free fall long before Tumpsters Great Satan Gough came to power"

I'd ask him for evidence of this but Paul struggles with concepts like 'evidence'. So I'll just point out that the numbers show what the said to be rubbish. Paul understands rubbish much better than evidence since he deals with it every day.

"[mhaze] believe Australia could have a fantastic "Toaster Industry".

Well if you read what I wrote (or more exactly , if you were cogitatively capable of understanding what I wrote, you see that I don't want a toaster industry. Australia digs up stuff and grows stuff which we sell. That makes it hard to also make stuff because of the exchange rate dilemma I mentioned earlier. We have a manufacturing industry but only in niche markets. We could have a bigger one in value adding to the things we dig up and grow (eg tinned food) but our industrial policy caused by government intervention inhibits that.

Paul understands all this in the same way as my budgie does, but is very strident in his ignorance. Its all rather comical.

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"- Is it wrong to say it if its a fact?"

No it'd wouldn't be wrong to say it if its a fact. But alas, sometimes facts are an alien concept to some