So Julia Gillard is out there offering SPECIAL PRIVILEGES to Ford workers, yet to my knowledge, there is no such offer on the table for many others who have lost their jobs.

A mate of mine has just lost his mining job, in the Bowen Basin, yet being one of 900 workers recently sacked, in one sacking, there is no such offer on the table.

Of cause Julia doesn't offer support for mining, rather, she wants to rip the guts out of their profits by way of the MRRT, albeit in a failed attempt.

So why is it that only certain sectors get support, while most others get left behind?

This Ford thing has the pilots strike smell about it, all over again.

just like the public service the heavily supported union industry are mainly labour voters. They love spending the workers money.

Without wanting to be seen to support the red-headed witch, was the handout idea her idea or rather something foisted on her by the union faction ?? Its always difficult to tell where moronic ideas originate in the ALP, the party specializes in placing all manner of lunatics where they can do the most damage.

"why are they so special" Because there is an election coming up and Juliar is scared stiff.

Dear rehctub,

You state that "to your knowledge" there's no government
support for other Australians to find a job et cetera.

Actually, your knowledge as always seems rather limited.

There's the Social Security Amendment (supporting Australians
into Work) Bill 2013 which will provide Australians
receiving income support with greater incentives and support to
find and keep a job.

More information is provided here:

http://billshorten.com.au/gillard_government_supporting_more_australians_intowork

I have wondered about this too rehctub. When a large industry closes it means the loss of mass jobs but when you think about many individuals losing their jobs, collectively that is a much larger number of people. I think it is about the media and politics and governments wanting to be seen doing what they perceive will be perceived as the right thing.

I love the way the supporters of unfettered free trade (both LNP and ALP)will use subsidies, which someone described as merely 'reverse tariffs', to bolster failing industry. Indeed there are some tariffs still in place. Correct me if I am wrong, for the automobile industry I think it sits at 5%. Yet anyone who proposes tariffs or protectionism are labelled as agrarian socialists or similar.

Australia is not alone in this. The US and Europe have for years subsidised certain industries and agricultural sectors whilst at the same time pushing a globalisation free trade agenda. It comes down to self-interest, it is not really about ideology.

Just because Julia promised something does not mean it will happen. She has a well known reputation for going back on her word.

There was a TV program about a week ago where Bluescope employees were promised help and 18 months later they still have few jobs yet the government supposedly spent $8o million with no explanation where the money went,

Yes it always comes down to self interest, and in this way all politicians are the same.
So Julia is no different really.

Suse
I think it is more about a failed policy that did not live up to expectations and the perception now that the government has to therefore support the workers.

I think Julia Gillard has more heart than Tony Abbott when it comes to disadvantaged groups. But to be critical of the PM on some issues does not mean all her policies are bad but they need to be called out. The NDIS and an advantageous NBN are both great policies. I could not see the LNP bringing forth these great programs.

A friend of mine worked for Ansett and waited years for any employee compensation and payout from the group that bought the company when it went belly up. No help from the government at all.

Much of politics at the moment has become about self-interest. That is why people get fed up. The self-interest is not always to do with the personal but with party interest,and less and less to do with governing.

Dear Banjo,

If you Google Bluescope - you'll find the explanation about
where the money went. The government tried to help
out by encouraging companies such as Bluescope
to be more competitive.
Re-structuring and re-training programs were part of their
plan and reforms needed to be done in this area. The falling
demand of their product globally,
and the rising dollar also made this situation worse.
Plus - the CEO's awarding themselves huge payouts -
could account for some mis-use of the government funding
received. One needs to look at the bigger picture than
just blaming the government.

Ford jobs, why are they so special Julia?
rehctub,
only till the election then she'll relax courtesy of the morons who voted for them & making us pay for it.

Dear individual,

Your mouth is more open than your mind.

Come on people, open your eyes.

A promise to the miners who HAVE lost their jobs would have to be funded out of the current budget. That is about horrific enough to reduce labor to a cricket team as it is, without adding miners compensation.

Ford has sacked no one yet, so no payout by this government. As usual the cunning witch is promising that Abbott's government will pay. Yet another land mine to attempt to make it harder for them to bring the budget back to balance.

Pelican do you really think the NBN will continue, in it's present disastrous form, after the stuff hits the fan with out mining exports, & our income. It is so bad the Labor mob have kept it out of the budget by another of their cunning tricks. It's catastrophic mess will only appear in a couple of years.

And I'm sorry Pelican. but the NDIS is one of those land mines Julia is leaving to harm most of the community, & Abbott in particular. There is no chance it can be implemented as it stands, or even in a drastically watered down version. It is a typical cynical vote buying promise, of the type the woman is truly famous for. Any heart in Julia is solid stone, & bleeds acid.

Most understand, clearly not all.
Gillard will be gone in the three full years till the closure.
Many, not all, know Abbott as did Howard *IN SUPPORTING HIS OWN BROTHER*
National Textiles bankruptcy,may support these workers.
Many are aware, not all, but many, it is standard fair, to support victims of mass job loss.
It is my view, bigotry aside, we should not support car makers, any of them.
IF in the future General motors holden folds here too, Toyota may become more able to continue to produce cars here.
Support for unviable industry,s is, at best window cleaning in a building set for demolition.

Lexi,
I don't have to google Bluescope. The info comes straight from your beloved ABC and let me tell you it was pretty damming of the government. Dispite the promises the employees still have few jobs and I forget just how many were put off, it was quite a lot.

If the management spent our money on big payouts to themselves that can only mean poor management by the government, which is not surprizing in view of their previous performances.

I can clearly recall Whitlam saying the "Tarriffs don't protect jobs, they only protect profits" when he introduced tarrif cuts. since then we have lost most of our industry. But Julia will keep on lieing.
Ford workers should not hold their breath waiting for assistance on the say so of Julia.

Pelican,
The NBN is costing far more than originally budgeted for and the roll out behind and few are taking it up.

The Gonski education matter has not been funded.

The NDIS has not been funded either. The medibank levy only supplies about $3 billion and it will cost 4 times that per anumn to run it. I am also told that oldies will not qualify because of their age, but they are the most likely group to become disabled because of stroke and falls, etc. I have said before that many will not qualify.

This government lies through its teeth, buying votes with money they do not have.

The truth is that not one single production line worker will gain a new position in the Disability Head office in Geelong. These jobs will go to the ALP cronies displaced after the election.
These plants are state of the art facilities. You really think the are just going to be closed and allowed to rust away.
Common sense says another car-maker will buy them for a song and start producing cars that we need, can afford, and have a place in our eco society.

chrisgaff1000, if you can't make Falcons in the plant, & make a profit from them, there is nothing you can make.

There is more profit to be made from larger cars, making small hatches with almost as much "stuff" in them, & selling them for $14,000 is going to loose even more money.

Have a look at the remains of many car factories around Detroit, & you'll see what use they are.

Car makers don't actually make much. It takes a multitude of moderately large companies producing most of their parts for them. The expertise required is not small, & small companies can not afford the technical people required. Loss of even one market as in Ford could see this expertise to be too expensive to maintain.

There is absolutely nothing wanted by your "eco society", that could possibly be sold in the numbers required to be viably produced in Oz. Those trying world wide are loosing a fortune. It appears car makers actually believed the global warming scam, & what governments promised they were going to do, when they thought there were votes in it.

I have to agree with you hasbeen, as when you think about it, most cars are basically the same.

Our whole problem here are wages, and to think that despite our already handicapped manufacturing, this incompitent government thought it would be wise to further handicap them with a carbon tax, adding even more costs, something our competitors must laugh about.

Now while I don't want to see wages slashed, we must face the reality that we can no longer compete, even without the carbon tax.

My problem is though, why support this FAILING INDUSTRY while many others are in just as much trouble.

When mining sacks hundreds in one go, where is the support for these workers?

As I say, it's the pilots strike all over again.

Yes rehctub, its wages, but in more ways than one.

Our wages are too high for industry to pay, & still stay viable.

However most are too low for a worker & his family to live on in a reasonable manner, & for all too many, even 2 wages are not enough, after the cost of earning those wages are taken into account.

We have managed to get the whole thing out of balance. It is only those with high skills, a great deal of industrial power, or public employees who now get a living wage.

Government is taking far too much in tax, fuel excise & other charges to try to get enough to keep millions of bureaucrats, academics & the welfare sector, & leaving the wage earner too poor. Even the cost of the housing bubble to home buyers is largely supported by huge government charges on new housing blocks.

We are going to have to get rid of tens of thousands of bureaucrats academics, & welfare recipients to get back to a viable manufacturing, & farming economy, when the mining boom returns to normal, in the very near future.

When you look at the fact that in around 1965/66, on the average wage I paid 7.25% tax, & only 3.5% interest on a home loan, on a home that cost less than 5 times my net income, you can see the problem.

Now I've done the hard part, & explained the problem, it is up to all those who want more public spending to do the easy bit, & supply the answer.

Well men it looks as though I'll just have to go to the auction and buy up some very cheap computer driven bits of machinery that I can install in my local "Menshed" and have the boys make miniature railway trains.
The whole core problem are wages driven by prices or is it prices driven by wages. Isn't that the same as "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" and "catch 22". God what am I missing out on.
The whole system is "Catus F......" and God won't help us. What we need is an "Adjustment Bureau"

Hasbeen, this wage situation has been an issue for some time now, no more so than when labor took an axe to IR.

Even now we see yet another wage rise, while at the same time when labor want to increase super by a whopping third.

So much for super being in leu of wage rises.

I have often said you know there's a problem when wages are too high for business, yet too low to live on.

There is no way out of this mess we are now in, as once Ford goes, I fear it will be just the beginning.

Even a change of government won't save manufacturing, as it's all but doomed.

And to think labor's fix is to set up the NDIS head quarters in Geelong.

So do they expect someone on a battery drill today, will all of a sudden turn to a computer, or perhaps man the phones.

More show ponying from this mob.
What a joke they are.

Whilst it is tragic for the workers concerned, thereafter, Ford have been screwing Australians for years and they should have been allowed to go belly up years ago as "Free Market" economics clearly dictates.

Pork barreling for votes at the tax payers expense is plainly an ALP favorite tactic and indicative of their economic illiteracy.

I say, do it yourself if you want a car industry Australia, you pathetic saps and the same goes for mining.

Thereafter, the sooner these vile individuals who lock up children without charge or trial in circumstances known to produce significant adverse health outcomes are buried at the next election the better.

DreamOn, just where do you stop.

Shouldn't public transport charge a viable ticket price. Why should motorists subsidise bus travelers, when buses clutter up the roads motorists have paid for?

How about hospitals, shouldn't only those who have earned the money to pay get treatment?

I think mining is one thing that is more than paying it's own way.

I may be thick, but I did not understand your last bit, one complaint we often hear is courts letting youth off with no real penalty. Who is locking up children?