Thread: Our latest scheme for getting casual Workers

Originally Posted by incisor

no doubt

but somewhere, there has to be a national interest clause....

for example, as a nation we should be exporting as an absolute minimum, metal ingots, not ore and coal.

When I was a bit younger, there was a proposal to build a railway across the top of Australia, with a large steel mill at each end of the railway. Trains would have been fully loaded in both directions - coal from east to west, and iron ore on the return journey - claimed at the time to be the most economic railway in the world.

The proponents of this scheme - Lang Hancock and Joh Bjelke Petersen - laughed at and thought of as "loonies" by the the yuppies without vision in the south (mostly those same people who now complain that we are becoming the world's quarry).

The major obstacles - Charlie Court in WA would not allow ANY railway to be built / operate in WA unless it was run by Westrail - the most inefficient rail operator in the country (I know - I used to work for them), and the Federal Government of the day (can't remember who it was) - who wanted their "cut" as the proposed railway was to pass through the NT (which was fully controlled by Canberra at the time).

There have been numerous efforts to turn Australia's coal and iron ore into "value added" products. Various steelworks around the country - Wollongong, Newcastle, Whyalla and others, the HBI plant in Port Hedland, "Ausmelt" in Kwinana, Wundowie Foundry ........... the list goes on. None has ever been able to compete on the world market, and almost all are now gone.

Same for Copper (Peko smelter outside of Tennant Creek - the white elephant, now gone) Aluminium (what's happening right now at Gove).

It appears that we are destined to dig it up, ship it out, and buy it back as Toyotas.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

I believe that Indonesia just passed a new law to stop exporting raw minerals. It would be interesting to see the results in the near future.

Indonesia is all **** and wind on this subject as on many others.

Most commentators see this new law as purely vote catching rhetoric in advance of their upcoming elections (sound familiar ????).

Their business arrangements with China will soon put paid to this new policy and it will be reversed in the near future.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

Socialist!, Hugo Chavez would be proud of you

as i see it, no socialism involved...

it makes economic sense, at the national level...

multinationals would fight it tooth and nail i would think...

Originally Posted by incisor

no doubt

but somewhere, there has to be a national interest clause....

for example, as a nation we should be exporting as an absolute minimum, metal ingots, not ore and coal.

Pray tell who are we going to sell metal ingots too ?????? , The big Australian BHP wasted over a $b in a hot brick ingot plant in Port Hedland only to have to pull it down as a total failure due to no buyers !. and to costly to run . If it was not 4 the iron ore and coal we would be driving Mopeds not Land Rovers in this country .

Originally Posted by nugge t

Applying the national interest clause across the full spectrum would be interesting

already applies to workers via fair work australia...

but yeah, i get your point, it would be a bit like the gst collection debate...

it has to be viable...

Originally Posted by incisor

as i see it, no socialism involved...

it makes economic sense, at the national level...

multinationals would fight it tooth and nail i would think...

I just joking Inc, I agree with you but also I would go further, I would nationalize that companies that have the potential but do not do much for the country.
I love the concept of cooperatives when companies like to close down and go OS but many times does not work just because human nature.

Originally Posted by Fatso

If it was not 4 the iron ore and coal we would be driving Mopeds not Land Rovers in this country .

most are going to be shortly..... the top 5% might be able to afford one..

you'll all be sitting on them watching gina's indian workers digging holes in a few years

Originally Posted by incisor

most are going to be shortly..... the top 5% might be able to afford one..

you'll all be sitting on them watching gina's indian workers digging holes in a few years

Very selective in which part of my post you answered .