The government's leaked list of 'talking points' is now available to the public. Pretty boring stuff really from the usual political bores - stuff they want to talk about; nothing voters are much interested in, certainly not a dicky bird about crippling mass immigration that is pumping up the GDP, but lowering the wealth of individuals.

Yes ttbn, they have no answer to the employment problem that would be generated if we weren't building thousands of housing units for immigrants.

We have to pay our selves such ridiculously high wages to be able to live in our hugely expensive cities, that we are priced out of most markets. If someone discovers a way to import complete homes, there will be no employment left in oz.

If we weren't digging up half the continent & exporting it annually, we would be needing foreign aid from PNG, not giving it.

"If someone discovers a way to import complete homes, there will be no employment left in oz."

I think basic housing should come straight off a production line and onto the back of a truck for delivery.
Import every component we can for less and just assemble and deliver them.

The housing industry has been pandered to for too long, particularly as locals are finding it too hard, impossible in many cases, to get into the market. Is the industry now geared only to Chinese investment?

Ridiculously low interest rates, encouraging people to borrow more, and spend more, seems to indicate that we have sunk to the embarrassing status of a 'retail economy', as America did under incompetent Socialist presidents.

It will only get worse when we are all growing rice in our electricity poor colony to send back to our new masters, the Chinese Communist Party.

ttbn,
What do you think socialism means?
Which of America's presidents do you think have been socialist, and why?

Remember our very low interest rates are the result of our government trying to take more money out of the economy than they put in (a policy you support) and the RBA trying to compensate for the effect of that to prevent it from crashing our economy.

Our electricity supply is more reliable than that of the USA. And though our politicians have been far too reluctant to call out the corruption of the Chinese Communist Party, they will never be our masters.

Aidan,

Your impertinent questioning doesn't encourage further attention to your post.

In fact Victoria had a production line factory producing houses that only closed in the 1970’s and was owned by the Housing Commission. It was rendered unfit for purpose by the good old public service!
IKEA are well on the way with something cheap and cheerful. Who wants to live in a rabbit hutch is another question.
If there was concerted efforts to sort out planning etc we could have houses at a quarter of the costs within a year. Vested interests stop this but let’s see what happens when the crash happens? World wide recession/depression is on its way and it’s our fault. Not pollies, RBA directors and public servants with massive pensions, us!
Immigration will not help us at all but only Pauline would sort that out, what to do?

ttbn,
>Your impertinent questioning doesn't encourage further attention to your post.
Nor should it need to! Do you want your seemingly absurd claims to be dismissed as senile ramblings?
If not, then it's worth explaining what they're based on - and the best way to do that is to answer the questions.

Having said that, I realise it doesn't apply if they really are senile ramblings...

ttbn,
Surely you did not expect the government, or the oppersition to talk about immigration? After all the major parties have an agreement NOT to debate immigration, it was brokered by Bob Hawke PM and both parties now leave it up to the party in power to fix their own policy and numbers without comment from those across the chamber.

This will continue until someone has the balls to break the agreement and only then will the public get a say in the issue again.

Even though the public see the matter as important, it will be a long time before it changes. Both parties have protected themselves.

Henry,

Of course I didn't. But if it's not publicly talked about, they won't even think about it. Keeping silent means you are happy with what they are doing.

You say, "This will continue until someone has the balls to break the agreement and only then will the public get a say in the issue again".

Right. So do something about it. Is it too much trouble to email politicians? Is too much trouble to tell them you will vote only for candidates who undertake to stop mass immigration? Is it too much trouble to withhold your vote, and write on the ballot paper why you are doing so? I did at the last federal election. We are allowed to do such things. We are not like China yet - but we will soon be if voters - not useless politicians - don't grow 'the balls' to exercise their democratic rights and start making demands. Politicians will never do anything until they are forced to.

You reckon the 'public' thinks it's important? No, they don't, or things would have changed long ago. Politicians have to be elected. Voters can refuse to elect duds like we have now - if they want to.

Hey JBowyer,

I got curious and decided to look up this 'housing production line'.
Thanks for sharing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_Commission_of_Victoria
"The Commission was keen to produce the largest number of house at the lowest cost, and in an era when prefabrication was widely regarded as the most efficient construction method, the Commission continued its pre-war development of precast concrete houses. In 1946 the former Commonwealth Tank factory building in suburban Holmesglen was leased to the Victorian Housing Commission, and transformed into a 'Housing Factory' for the production of prefabricated concrete houses and flats. The entire operation became a production line process and by 1948, 1,000 houses had been produced. In the middle 1950s, the factory was producing two to four storey walk up flats, and by 1964 the Concrete House Project was turning out pre-cast walls for villas as well as walk-ups and would soon be producing the components for high rise towers."

http://www.mbemalvern.com.au/mhs/what-is-the-history-of-the-holmesglen-tafe-site/
"By 1948, 1,000 houses had been produced. By 1964 the Concrete House Project was turning out pre-cast walls for villas as well as 2, 3, 4, 8 and 20 storey concrete flats in slum reclamation areas, including the Horace Petty Estate in South Yarra. Park Towers, the award winning 30 storey flats in South Melbourne, reputed to be the tallest pre-cast, load-bearing wall building in the world, was built at Holmesglen."

http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/6023

SMH headline: "Australia's economy tipped to grow slower than than Greece as signs show that tax cuts haven't work".

Poor English of the kind we now expect from our media. They mean slower than Greece's economy, not the growth of Greece itself. Although our population growth is probably many times higher than Greece's, thanks to mass immigration.

But, the warning is there. Australia's economic growth is 1.7%, lower than that of Greece's economic growth.

How embarrassing is that. We are worse off than the basket case of the EU!

Mass immigration is really doing wonders for us.

ttbn,
We should look at this in terms of sustainability rather than slowdown ! Or, at least hope it could lead to that !

Australia's economic growth is 1.7%, lower than that of Greece's economic growth.
ttbn,
And yet, it's going ok. Looks like growth isn't really the requirement the experts claim it is. Sustainability is the key !

I guess the 39 illegal migrants who died in the truck in Essex will set the tonues wagging re immigration !
Will they try to come in the boats again to these shores ? Is Australia ready or are the enemies of this Nation from within sabotaging efforts already ? Will Australian registered boats be the new tactic ? Money hungry Australians devoid of integrity will try anything, even help the silent invasion here !

Individual,

Can you join the dots between thirty nine people left to die in the back of a truck in England, and the evil machinations of some Australians in relation to immigration ? That really did sound like a rather paranoid rant, to put it politely.

Joe

Loudmouth,
Patience !

Individual,

A bit of compassion for thirty nine dead fellow-humans wouldn't go astray.

Joe