579 no way!
I never want to side with that other bloke.
But you are wrong, China will AWAYS have a wages costs lead on us.
The issue is far more complex than some think.
If today, China/Japan/ south Korea [and it will not happen] matched our costs, another south East Asian country would fill their place.
I will expand in a thread, if it gets a run, about the workplace and related things.

Your stand is political at any cost,
579,
political ? Well, of course or isn't the ALP in power anymore ?

579, you are so misguided by this governments perception that we are world leaders.

Take your own back yard for example.

You go out there and weed the garden, but you don't get the roots out, then six weeks latter your back out there doing the same thing again.

Wel, that just what this government has done, they have stuffed up so many projects that they have actually created employment by fixing stuff ups.

Trying to stimulate an economy is a good move, knowing ones boundaries is the key.

Had they sought the services of an expert, chances are we would not be in the mess we are,and, believe me, despite what you are reading, we are in very poor shape, cause mining is th Only thing that is keeping us there and, that is 99% reliant n the rest of th world, as they are our customers.

Now the disgacful part is they have done this Tim and time again. That is simply inexcusable.

What governments should do is stop wasting money, stop supporting outsiders and subsidize wages so we can try to get manufacturing, retial and torisum back on track.

As I say, I don't have a problem with people wanting better wages, my problem is expecting struggling businesses to pay them.

Our money is there to help us first, end of story.

Business leaders simply will not take the risk anymore as IR laws are to restrictive.

Even the mining industry is starting to question th crap they hav to deal with.

Constant safety inductions is one such cost.

Get this. They ar about to start mulching old winrows at my block an, they need to employ the services of a spotter catcher incase any wildlife is disturbed.

I am afraid our priorities ar all screwed up and it is costing us dearly.

BTW indi, one hour per week is considered employed. It's also illegal, but that's the stats.