Done![]()
Not just the steel industry.
The battle to keep potentially lethal building products out of Australia - 24/06/2015
If you don't like trucks, stop buying stuff.
Done![]()
Australia is ****ed and petitions do **** all.
I support Aussie stuff as much as a can.
I'm in the mining industry and we battle everyday against cheap 'raw' imports
The only thing politicians react to is if they think they will lose votes. And if you don't have opposition support, the mob in power will not take it seriously. A petition on its own means little if you don't have the support of influential sections of the public, and you can sustain the interest , an example being www.standto.org Bob
I’m pretty sure the dinosaurs died out when they stopped gathering food and started having meetings to discuss gathering food
A bookshop is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking
Done.
I remember about 8 years ago I was looking to buy a hoist.
At the time there were a lot of cheap Chinese hoists flooding our market.
I was almost about to buy one when a news story broke about the large overhead signs on the nearly completed Eastlink feeway.
There were concerns about their safety, due to Chinese steel.
This concerned me enough that I decided on a second hand Australian made hoist that cost more than a new Chinese one.
Dave.
I was asked " Is it ignorance or apathy?" I replied "I don't know and I don't care."
1983 RR gone (wish I kept it)
1996 TDI ES.
2003 TD5 HSE
1987 Isuzu County
BHP-Biliton has ended its assocition with Port Kembla a major employer in the Illawarra for over 70 years. BHP is not the big Australian any more it is a Global multinational. Arrium (Merger of Smorgan/OneSteel/Email and others) is also a publiclly listed company. These industries will always move to the profit motive and to support the salary of the CEO and secondly for the dividends of investors. Given that no Australian steel producer is in the top 40 producers worldwide we cannon achieve any economies of scale and Australian workforces are too expensive to remain competitive with low cost producers.
If we look at what politicians do, you only have to look at the automotive industry, Williamstown shipbuilding and the Australian Submarine Corporation to see how much support we can expect from politicians.
I wish it wasn't so, but the petition is an exercise in futility.![]()
You won't find me on: faceplant; Scipe; Infragam; LumpedIn; ShapCnat or Twitting. I'm just not that interesting.
signed, but im also anti union
In terms of cost per ton , we are around the lowest cost 1/3 in global terms.
Labour comprises around 5% up to 10% depending upon of the cost per ton so has very little to do with end costs. Also saying anything about global steel, you mean China , as with over 60% of global production, ( to put it in perspective 1 year oz production by everyone = 1 day in chinese production.)they control the prices.
Our advantages are location, both Arrium( iron ore) and BSL( coking coal) are right next to 1/2 the ingredients to make steel, the other 1/2 is far closer than our low wage neighbours and saves even more money. BSL ship in iron ore with a 2 week hire length roughly, compared to China with a 6+ week run and nothing for a cape sized vessel to pick up upon return, a ship can do a short hop to either the local coal loader, Newcastle or Qld for its next paid voyage.
The issue is our pollies are to scared to even try to reduce let alone match China's dumping and export bonuses, they refuse to match their discounted energy policies ( they use our gas for less than we pay!)and we hold up a fairly good enviromental policy/outcome through big$$$$ emission systems, but are punished, not rewarded for doing so. Whereas a lot of their plants don't as they cost $$$ and could slow production.
Pollies from both sides have yet to endorse a buy oz in govt projects policy sadly. This would be a major solution and save thousands of local jobs. Other trading partners have done this , USA, Canada , so should we.
The other issue is we have not learnt from the past. BSL used to be BHP steel, when they shut stainless, the price of imports for our old customers basically doubled in 12 months. BSL shut down tinplate, which left customers no option but to import, and guess what mass price rises.Now if BSL decides to stop production and import coil, how long do you think the cheap coil prices will remain?
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