I often hear Oz described as an advanced nation, with an advanced economy. But hang on a minute, is that right?

I always thought that an advanced economy was one based on manufacturing & Tertiary industries, requiring a highly educated workforce, using their brains. Looked at dispassionately Oz doesn't fit this mould too well.

What do we have? Well mining & agrarian industries, with a bit of tourism around the place. Sounds like one of the more stable African countries, than an advanced one to me.

What about our workforce. Again, lots of people driving trucks around mine sites, others driving tractors or chasing cattle around in the bush, & some making beds or waiting bar for the tourists.

After that, if your not a public servant of some kind, your working for an importer, of jumping counter in a retail shop.

I'm damned if I can see how we can consider ourselves as advanced, so perhaps it's our high tech military. But hang on, we can't even make our subs, & a lot of other stuff go, can we? Can't be that.

So we are really a third worlder, masquerading as a first world bunch.

Can you call a country slipping backwards every day a "developing" nation? No, I suppose not, so that's not us.

Well, that's not so bad really, it appears you have to be bankrupt, or damn near, to be a real first worlder.

That gives us the choice. Leave Julia & Bob playing tootsies, & we'll soon be bankrupt, so perhaps eligible for first world after all, or just sit here becoming the poor white trash of the South Pacific, when the miners leave.

There, perhaps I've placed us.

an advanced economy..is one that allows itself to be run by beurocratts..[and autoc-rats..to serve coorperte intrests..

and prepared to tax its people into early graves..[and still give corperate welfare to mulinational corperations]

prepared to sign any freetrade agreement
or go on police actions against those threatening to become first world

to keep them..in the 3rd world
or those who let economists gamble their peoples wealth
or allows govt to privatise or plunder public assets..for a token fee

regardless of the next lot
also serving the same adgendas
for the same masters..who own the earth
own the money/party/politics public service
police armed forces and policy law..me=die-sin...media and religeons

in an econmy fast going bust
run by can-do types and yes women

I was going to write a detailed response.
Point out the Apathy failure to know a basic, that must drive someone to ask such a question.
But I just can not be bothered.

Economist make it up as they go. Next to none predicted the GFC. Gillard is turning us into the Welfare economy with illegals coming daily. It certainly is keeping the unemployment level low as huge numbers of guards are required to be abused by those arriving.

I am pleased with the previous remarks, it proves that not everyone is taken in with the big whitewash brush that seems to exist in these parties dominated by Lawyers, because since almost all the Prime Ministers and Treasurers have been Lawyers since 1970, and as far as I am concerned, they have destroyed our economy, our living conditions and just about everything they have touched. Unfortunately the Liberal Party and the others appear to be no better.

...Manufacturing now 9%, was 27% of GDP. Superfunds losing money “again”.800,000 Australians looking for more work.
And trustworthiness of imported products are totally suspect: (Especially Chinese).

…Try this from a chinese “blog”:- Shanghai Scrap-

Steel quality…

...read this sight to identify the miserable demise of our exported industries; once proud Australian icons.

# What’s most disturbing is that this is not a new issue. Overseas buyers of Chinese structural steel and other ferrous products have long known that Chinese manufactured steel typically doesn’t meet the quality (and chemistry) standards of foreign countries.#