Australian Made vs Off-Shore.

Maybe if we charged a proper resources rent tax on the resources we are shipping overseas, like Norway does with its petroleum wealth fund, we might also have built up the money needed to invest in local manufacturing of more of our essential needs, and not have been caught out when Chinese manufacturing was reduced by the coronavirus.
I'm not talking about vehicles BTW - that horse has bolted. There are many other products which could have a substantial home market. For example, why are most of our water treatment chemicals imported? If we can make most of our paper needs, why not more of our other products? What happened to the proposal for Century to make lithium batteries in Adelaide? Why isn't our local steel industry being encouraged to expand production?
It may be hard, but it can be done.

One point strikes me about this discussion.

When I was a boy, quite a few years ago, there was a lot of speculation how we would manage with the future - flying cars, nuclear power at ridiculously low cost, a car in every home, television, super size flying boats, women expecting to work outside the home, and perhaps the major issue, how we were going to manage all the leisure time with only needing to work 10-15 hours a week?

Today, we have women working outside the home, no flying cars, expensive power and no nuclear, most homes have cars, and television, flying boats seem to have disappeared, but, OK, we have super size aeroplanes instead, and Australia has the longest average hours worked per week for full time jobs in the OECD! Along with unemployment which is high by 1940s standards. (I'm talking about pre-covid-19)

So where have we gone wrong? Despite most of the other 50% (women) joining the workforce, most full time workers are working longer hours than they did seventy years ago, and jobs are hard to come by.

(Actually, working hours have been reduced slightly, or at any rate not increased that much, with most kids staying at school longer, increased leave (even in the seventies more than two weeks annual leave was unusual, and long service leave only available after fifteen years continuous service with the public service or a few large companies), earlier retiring age)

dont know how to reply to this without being political

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AK83

I think over the course of a couple of generations, this statement will prove to be totally inaccurate once again!
Local production doesn't really equate to money being left in Australia.

All car companies that ever manufactured anything in this country have proven this.

I think it's time(for us) to get over this notion that production of goods needs to be in a specific country for that country to be successful.
What makes a country 'unsuccessful' is clinging to old antiquated ideologies.

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Wages paid to an Australian workforce is money left behind in Australia.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Wages paid to an Australian workforce is money left behind in Australia.

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Good point

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Wages paid to an Australian workforce is money left behind in Australia.

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Unless it’s paid to many New Australians - then a lot goes OS

GST on business purchases also stays here.

As do many other business expenses that are invoiced locally - freight, communications, building maintenance, rates, etc etc.

Perhaps as AK said manufacturing is "dead" and I guess I am not against importing goods (and thus exporting money) to another country, I have just found it baffling for decades now that we are simply funding the communist party of china AND it's policies... Sure import a cheaper product but do it from a decently run country?

Also, the argument that australia (in the Netherlands they think the same btw) should be a knowledge society and thus export knowledge somehow, is a moot point. I am in automation and I can pretty much guarantee you that ALTHOUGH programming will remain a viable job for some time to come, most of the work in IT including programming will be automated. I already do this on a daily basis. It's not that hard really and once computers can largely program themselves... Oh boy.

Lastly, the flying cars, nuclear power to cheap to meter etc. Well. Some people wanted to get rich so where in the 70's a dad could bring in the money whilst mom was at home AND they had savings to spare, nowadays you need two incomes to barely scrape along. And no, this is not about gender I don't care if the dad stays at home and mom makes the money ;)

I do not know the solution to the problem, I only know that the willingness to look for one borders on virtually zero.

Cheers,
-P

To have a lifestyle like the days of "the Lucky Country", would be quite simple, if people just looked at how their parents/ grandparents lived.
Dad worked. Mum looked after the kids. They lived in (Most likely) a two or three bedroom home, had a 10 year old car, and didn't buy stuff they couldn't pay cash for.
The kids shared bedrooms, had one bathroom to use in turn, and, if they wanted a bike or a pony, the got a paper run or other part-time jobs to pay for it.

Simples!