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

Originally Posted by Tombie

The steel market, once it's not being dumped in is very stable.

just saw a news article
chinese still manufacturing at record level.

China says March steel output a record

Originally Posted by bob10

... Tata has announced it would be moth balling steel plate mills in Scunthorpe, Dalzell, & clydebridge as well as one of two coke ovens in Scunthorpe as part of its Europe steel Business.

Similar problems there too - a world wide glut of Chinese steel. Though perhaps not the only problem in the UK steel industry, as with Australia, it sure doesn't help any. And while politicians here ague the wrongs and rights of tariff protection the Chinese seem to be somewhat more flexible about it.

April 2016 - Chinese government imposes tariff on EU steel imports

China has risked raising tensions over its role in the UK steel crisis by imposing a 46% import duty on a type of high-tech steel made by Tata in Wales.

The Chinese government said it had slapped the tariff on ?grain-oriented electrical steel? imported from the European Union, South Korea and Japan. It justified the move by saying imports from abroad were causing substantial damage to its domestic steel industry.

Interesting times ahead in all matters regarding China.

Originally Posted by frantic

Unfortunately the MUA has been the main target of a certain side of govt, with the CFMEU occasionally taking the sights off them.
With the new changes to the rules for shipping, slave labour, (ok $2/hour is huge in ???), is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
MUA Seeks Reasons Behind Alcoa's Temporary Licence | World Maritime News
Or hell just don't pay the crew at all.
Blue Mountains Union News: MUA: Third Alcoa Ship Arrives Owing Foreign Crew $190,000

AAhh yes, the "M.U.A."!
I seem to remember the 1998 "Waterfront Dispute", where Mr Reith & Mr Patrick, were successful, as a result of this "infamous" dispute, in revealing some intersting waterfront "practises", which, shall we say, were not "World Standard".
I'm no expert, but Wikepedia has a very comprehensive of those issues, and the consequence of the dispute.
Pickles.
Of course, the issue that you refer to Frantic, is far removed from that. Just goes to show there's good & bad in everyone I guess.

China wil protect its own steel industry in whatever way it considers necessary because it regards steel as an industry of national strategic significance. The USA and similar countries do the same. Economic theory is regarded as irrelevant in this, its all about national power.
The question is, does Australia want to maintain some economic independence or are we content to just act like a colony of other countries and a playground for foreign multinationals to exploit?
We are back to where we were after WWII when we started a local car industry partly for economic reasons to provide a market for the steel industry developed before and during the war. We have gone backwards in the last decade. It's time to start going forwards again.
We need to discriminate against the dumping of cheap foreign steel and we need to ensure there is a minimum market for quality locally produced steel. These things are in our national interest and we should make sure they happen. My opinion.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

The question is, does Australia want to maintain some economic independence

are we large enough, developed enough or powerful enough to do this?
lets not kid ourself, we're an island nation of 25mil.

With too many zealots basing decisions on ideology instead of facts

Originally Posted by Eevo

are we large enough, developed enough or powerful enough to do this?
lets not kid ourself, we're an island nation of 25mil.

We are, I think from memory, the 12th largest economy in the world and we punch well above our weight economically. We need to get over our inferiority complex, not let others push us around, stop thinking like a colony and stand up for ourselves, I reckon.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

We are, I think from memory, the 12th largest economy in the world and we punch well above our weight economically. We need to get over our inferiority complex, not let others push us around, stop thinking like a colony and stand up for ourselves, I reckon.

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It ain't that easy,...you know it & I know it.
AND it ain't "Political". If it was, Labor would have done something about it, as would have the Libs,.....it ain't that easy, particularly if We're "up against" China, and if anyone thinks that China would go out of its way to make things easier for us, or assist us in any way, then I'll simply disagree.
Pickles.