Individual, ok, yes, i misunderstood.

yes, you are suggesting the people who pay the taxes, all of us.

Sorry.

Indy, you obviously are clueless when you say; "[aid] it should only be in tools, portable homes, water filtration, medical equipment & other practical commodities but definitely not money!". In the case of our adopted country Fiji, Australian aid is about 3% of the national income. At around $60 million per year it has declined substantially in real terms over recent times. Over half of Australia's aid is directly managed from Australia by DFAT. Our aid program is very much geared towards economic development. Your statement is one of those feel good things that inspire images of the child like indigenous people, happily accepting his new hoe as he is pictured within the village garden, or the village with bubbly fresh water, gushing from the newly installed pump, etc etc. That is not the reality with targeted aid. Business development which is the largest component, along with health and education is what Australian aid is mainly geared towards. Humanitarian aid from Australia after Cyclone Winston was a one off amount of $35 million, $15 immediately as emergency aid, and $20 as recovery aid. BTW the best bloody water I've tasted came out of a pipe, direct from a spring, in the highlands of Fiji. Some years ago when Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth, stepped out of the aid business with Fiji, China happily stepped in, to the joy of the Fijians.

runner, policies of British colonialism was responsible for the direct and indirect deaths of between 10 and 50 million people world wide. You say; "a few people realising how well people had it with British settlement" Wow, they never had it so good, a histories revisionists!

One small direct example of British colonialism, 13th April 1919, British troops under the command of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab, India, opened fire on unarmed people killing at least 400, but most likely closer to 1,000, including men, women and children, over 1,500 people were injured. Villagers had gathered in the Bagh to celebrate the important Sikh festival of Baisakhi, and peacefully protest the arrest and deportation of two national leaders.

Author Rudyard Kipling declared at the time that Dyer "did his duty as he saw it" as did many British politicians. Dyer never faced justice for his crimes, dying unrepentant in 1927.

China happily stepped in, to the joy of the Fijians.
Paul1405,
How ? With money or goods & workers ? How is it clueless to not send money ?
Please explain !
That clean water you drank straight out of a pipe- was the pipe made of banknotes or PVC or steel ?

so how best can we minimise our reliance on China, reduce debt, and create prosperity.

interested in ideas.

we need some ideas given some of the clowns i am researching are suggesting that greater spending now is a rejection of neoliberalism.

as usual, i don't see too many realistic ideas, besides some espousing greater investment in renewable industries.

come on shadow minster, hasbeen and individual, i want to hear your ideas, as well as others.

please dont simply bag the unions and the ABC

Chris,

This is a very good question.

China has played a central role in Australia's development over the past 30 years and in a few short weeks the Wuhan virus has wiped out the benefits and gains accrued from 30 years of 'jobs and growth' policies that were tied to China and now we are looking down the barrel of an economic depression that might take 10 years to fix.

So what should Australia do? A question that a lot of western nations must also be asking themselves. Or will it be business as usual while we wait around for another virus to come out of China?