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I mentioned that the government is to blame for allowing the corporates to do what is imperative for their business whether it serves the community in the long term or not.
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Could you expand on this thought, sonofgloin?
Should the government have prevented corporates from leaving this land?

You also said: "So we have received a steady stream of unskilled second and third world immigrants into an economy that has shed labor over the past 40 years."

And: "It is a tough economy for the educated and socially secure let alone the one in four next to us that is a stranger to this land."

Are you saying the numbers of immigrants are reducing jobs. And that it's harder for an immigrant to get a job because he wasn't born here?
Or because all the corporates have left for countries where labour is cheaper?

Is your gripe with the government or the corporates, or both?

I kind of feel what you're saying, but I'm wondering how you're recognising the problem?

I feel like a bit of an outsider on this thread (though that's never stopped me) being a country boy. Having lived in (various parts of) the country all my life, I have never really been able to appreciate the migrant debate. Apart from transient backpackers, multiculturalism in most country towns traditionally extends to the obligatory Greek or Italian fruiterer or fish shop owner, and the owners of the Chinese restaurant; both sets of whom work long hours and rely heavily on family employment.
On my rare visits to the 'big smoke' I have to admit being amazed travelling through suburbs where I couldn't read any of the signs, but oh well.
Although I am heavily against any form of racism and discrimination, I do sympathise with some of S.O.G.s sentiments viz the workforce. We have been suffering skills shortages regularly for decades, and importing skilled migrants has never been the answer. Normally a shortage means prices rise; scarcity implies greater value.
Whereas in the fifties and sixties tradesmen were comfortably middle class, now they are often working poor, reliant to some degree on welfare, or at least child subsidies.
Importing unskilled labour seems to be marching in step with the widening gap between the richest and poorest in this country, and the death of our 'classless' society.

Dear Grim,

You seem to be mourning the death of our 'classless' society, so I wish to look at it in perspective.

Australians must be congratulated for rejecting and shaking off the stagnated and overdue European/English concept of social classes, whereby some people were "better" than others just because they came from the right family, while others never had a chance.

Nevertheless, the upset with that old and corrupt class system can blind one to the fact that classes do exist in nature, and are in fact healthy in their natural form. Natural classes are based on ability, especially on the degree of ability to accept responsibility. For example, one who can do a day's work without supervision is of a higher class than one who cannot.

Unless we bury our heads in the sand, we must acknowledge that birth and genetics do play a role in one's ability to accept responsibility. We must however acknowledge as well that, with effort, one can rise above their genetic line.

It is for example widely accepted in our society that humans are of a higher class than animals, even to the extent that animal life is considered dispensible - yet look at yesterday's headline:

"Afghan hero dog put down by mistake: A dog credited with saving her owner's life in Afghanistan, by barking at a suicide bomber, has been put down by mistake in Arizona after straying and ending up in a pound".

Not many men and women receive a headline when they die, but even dogs can rise by their efforts, all the way up to the class of humans, where their lives are respected as precious.

This dog, Target by name, has showed responsibility, and was thereby elevated to the level of a human. I am afraid that even a higher level of responsibility is required to become prime-minister. We can no longer afford a prime-minister from a lower class.

*Whereas in the fifties and sixties tradesmen were comfortably middle class, now they are often working poor, reliant to some degree on welfare, or at least child subsidies.*

Er not quite so Grim. In your limited worldview perhaps, not in
the rest of Australia it seems.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/8350050/we-deserve-our-big-bucks-tradies/

Clearly plenty of tradies are cashing in bigtime. My local
mechanic charges 100$ an hour for his time, hardly working poor stuff.

Those with skills, will do ok if they have half a brain.

"The rest of Australia", Yabby?
Last I heard, West Oz comprised just 10% of Australia, and by far the highest paid and most expensive 10%, at that.
In my "limited worldview", -the eastern seaboard, where the trivial 70% to 80% live- average tradies get considerably less. In fact, I just checked out the Aus. Gov.s Job outlook site:
http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/occupation.aspx?search=alpha&code=3312
the national average for chippies is $923 a week. for Boilermakers it's $980.
Keep in mind this is a national average, calculated from the highs in Western Australia, to the poor sods (and yes, that includes lower skilled migrants) still working for award wages in the country towns and regional suburbs.
"Clearly plenty of tradies are cashing in bigtime. My local
mechanic charges 100$ an hour for his time, hardly working poor stuff."
Err, small businesses have these horrible things called overheads, Yabby. You may have heard of them.
In physical businesses like mechanics, the charge out rate ratio is relatively low; typically 2.5 to 3 times the gross wage of the bloke on the tools. This is largely because in the small business the boss either does his own books, or hires a part timer. As a small businessman, my charge out is $140./hour. Unfortunately, I can't actually pay myself that much. By comparison, my accountant's charge out rate is $450./hour, to cover non productive staff, secretaries, clerks and a 'tea lady' (I suspect she's his mum).
If your mechanic is charging $100. he's probably making (or paying his tradies) around $30 to $40 an hour; still better than the national average.
It's always interesting to watch a yabby in retreat; that tail flick makes them so much faster in reverse than forwards.
I can't wait to see where this flick takes us.

Indeed, Yabby. I nearly lost a valuable keyboard when I read this...

>>Whereas in the fifties and sixties tradesmen were comfortably middle class, now they are often working poor, reliant to some degree on welfare, or at least child subsidies.<<

There is - in Sydney, at least - a positive flood of affluent tradies, working in every field, plumbers, electricians, builders, builders' labourers, painters, plasterers, landscape gardeners, gardeners' muscle - you name it.

I am sure that if you described any of these folk as "working poor" to their face, they would think you mad.

And they would happily describe themselves as "middle class". Whatever that means.

From my own recent experience, I can tell you that of the three builders who did some work on my place a couple of years back, two were university educated. They were family men, happy in their work (and efficient, too), having chosen a largely outdoor occupation in a field where quality and speed were appreciated.

I don't know what that proves, except that they were far from poor.

And the rate the (power-company-recommended) electrician charged last week, just to show up and do fifteen minutes of investigative work, led me to believe that he was not in that category either.