Dear rehctub,

Lets set the record straight here.

In your opening post you clearly stated:

"I almost chocked on my lunch today when I heard
Julia Gillard's response to the scrapping of the
massive Woodside Project in WA..."

You left out what she said regarding
that project, which was:

"It's the company's decision. It's an issue for the
company. So It's for them to deal with."

As for mining investment? The following link may
help:

http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/04/08/australia-still-officially-the-safest-place-for-mining-investment-in-the-world/?wpmp_switcher=mobile

cont'd ...

Just to set another records straight.
I am not a supporter of Julia Gillard.
What I do support is getting facts
straight. And the Coalition has been
supremely lacking in that department.
Thus it may seem like I am supporting
the PM - I'm simply standing up to
misinformation, inane slogans, spin
and rhetoric. But hey - why should
that stop you.

Dear Grahamy,

To me that graphic clearly illustrates just how much the mining boom has kicked manufacturing in the guts. Not only stripping skilled trades people from the manufacturing sector but also forcing the Aussie dollar into heights that make the business of exporting manufactured goods problematic.

I hear tonight that our bio-medical export industry is now our largest earner for manufactured exports. Both Howard and Prime Minister Gillard are responsible for promoting this 'knowledge' field. Kudos to both.

But for traditional manufacturing such as motor vehicles why on earth would an investor put money into these when the dollar remains at these levels? Any canny type would head straight for the hole in the ground industries. This is why I am so disappointed in the mining tax because it should have taken some heat out of the sector and helped our manufacturers.

Friends nothing is new under the sun.
Not that many years ago, well a grown lady billionaire was a girl flown to Perth for private schooling so I suppose it was a while ago.
Anyway her father Lang Hancock found a mountain of Iron and a vision grew in his mind.
Build a rail link from the mines in the west to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Build smelters and produce steel using the shipped in Iron ore.
Then build ship building and repair yards and a massive export port to cater for the growing South East Basin sea traffic.
But the governments of the day balked at such an outlandish project so it never happened and Lang went to the Japs for partnership.
Think of what we lost and picture that project today with lines coming in from all the mines and the product being shipped out.
GOVERNMENTS JUST GET IN THE WAY.
Good on you Gina you grew to be a big girl
The Pilot