Thread: The Whyalla steel works must be saved, at any cost

Originally Posted by frantic

Ean, the difference between your industry and mine is that the govt don't have the potential to buy a majority of your product to use locally in projects.
The U.K. Is in the same **** basket we are here, have a read.

Britain sacrifices steel industry to curry favour with China

12 million tonnes made in uk being swamped by Chinese dumping and zero govt help compared to the USA, now what's their tarrifs on imports?

Now as much as I do buy local ,fisheries included , whenever possible, trawlers are not a strategic industry but steel is. Where was the Owen gun made? What where all the munitions made from? The steel for the last three generations of subs? Maybe not the next but no political context here. the plating for the bushmaster and numerous other oz built ADF equipment?
Now if we had a war or even a neighbour with a trade dispute and needed rails or any other infrastructures repaired could we wait for a ship to run a blockade or make it here?

Ahh but we do need to feed the people making all this stuff.

Cheers Ean

Originally Posted by frantic

Now if we had a war or even a neighbour with a trade dispute and needed rails or any other infrastructures repaired could we wait for a ship to run a blockade or make it here?

i can actually buy into this.
but
pretty sure china will wipe the floor with us

Originally Posted by frantic

Ean, the difference between your industry and mine is that the govt don't have the potential to buy a majority of your product to use locally in projects.
The U.K. Is in the same **** basket we are here, have a read.

Britain sacrifices steel industry to curry favour with China

12 million tonnes made in uk being swamped by Chinese dumping and zero govt help compared to the USA, now what's their tarrifs on imports?

Now as much as I do buy local ,fisheries included , whenever possible, trawlers are not a strategic industry but steel is. Where was the Owen gun made? What where all the munitions made from? The steel for the last three generations of subs? Maybe not the next but no political context here. the plating for the bushmaster and numerous other oz built ADF equipment?
Now if we had a war or even a neighbour with a trade dispute and needed rails or any other infrastructures repaired could we wait for a ship to run a blockade or make it here?

On a serious note , you failed to see 300 boats employing on average 6 people per boat = 1800 people , not to mention numerous shore base industries including steel suppliers. The decline to 50 boats only see's a workforce of 300 people , the 12 sheds where I work were full of businesses that did work directly for the trawlers, now there is 1 - the fuel supplier.


Maybe not on the same scale, but does it ring a similar bell to yours ?


Guess how much media attention the decline of the fishing fleet received ?


Cheers Ean

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Ahh but we do need to feed the people making all this stuff.

Cheers Ean

The trawlers made out of?
The fuel it runs on is stored in?
It's transported to market in vehicles made of? That are running on either tracks made of or bridges constructed with?

Eevo run the likely scenario that's brewing at the moment, not a direct all out war but a trade and area disputes in our backyard with China building islands and arguing with a)Japan b) Taiwan c) Vietnam d) north and or South Korea e) Phillipines, Or possibly more than one with most pulling in the USA to the mix and us as well

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

100% correct Mick , and it isn't going to change anytime soon. We all want to buy the cheapest regardless of place of origin, then blame the government when something like this happens.

Cheers Ean

When I tried to buy a heater matrix for the Tdi from an Australian company and was quoted $405 with a 5-7 day delivery date compared to $48 from a UK company with a 5-7 day delivery date which do you think I picked?.I don't buy cheap,I hate doing jobs twice but I hate getting ripped off more . Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

When I tried to buy a heater matrix for the Tdi from an Australian company and was quoted $405 with a 5-7 day delivery date compared to $48 from a UK company with a 5-7 day delivery date which do you think I picked?.I don't buy cheap,I hate doing jobs twice but I hate getting ripped off more . Pat

most likely the same one that 99% of us would have made.


Cheers Ean

This is scary. Logged on to find a multiplication of posts, on a controversial subject, pop up out of nowhere. And not a angry word, or nasty comment, to be seen. Just old fashioned discussion, albeit robust, and keen. I'm gob smacked. Well done all, long may it continue.

We had to very similar threads running Bob, one in here one in general, so we decided to merge them....

You started yours first... so they both ended up in here