With "Lost_in_the_regs" having kick-started this thread (there is also the new one "GA8 back in Aus, how good!"), I just read the old opinions of Sunfish in post #18 and #23. I have never studied at ANU nor any economics degree elsewhere, but I think Sunfish is giving too much weight to the influence of any academics at the ANU Faculty (or Research School) of Economics [[url]https://rse.anu.edu.au/faculty] if Sunfish believes they have so directly influenced the demise of Australian manufacturing. I also think that if a mentality that "we are good at sheep farming and mining and nothing else" exists for any of their many academics, which I doubt, then the students wouldn't simply lap it up. They wouldn't be that stupid.
That aside, it is also very difficult to believe that departments responsible for advising government on economic and industry decisions are stacked full of ANU economics graduates and that they somehow all have a 'group think' that seeks to "deliberately make it unattractive to manufacture in Australia".
My perception is that (foreign based) car manufacturers progressively departed from Australia as they were unable to lobby federal or state governments for financial packages, tax offsets etc that made it sufficiently attractive to maintain a manufacturing base here when they can find cheaper production line labour with lower work conditions elsewhere, perhaps also with more government 'sweeteners'. That is the nature of multi-national companies. It had nothing to do with any ANU Faculty of Economics. But happy to learn if anyone can explain the actual factors in the demise of that industry here.
Shipbuilding in Australia is a case Sunfish might like to consider. Aside from naval shipbuilding which of course is bankrolled by the Federal government, there is a successful and reasonably longstanding industry building quite significant fast ferries, patrol vessels and the like for the local and export market. The largest companies involved are Austal Ships and Incat Tasmania. These companies established themselves in the boat / ship building market AFTER the Federal government finally removed what had once been a quite generous 'bounty' scheme where the government directly contributed to the cost of ships built in Australia. These companies didn't need government subsidies. They had products that had a worldwide market, they had developed a skilled workforce for both design and production, and their marketing has obviously been effective. Both companies have had their ups and downs over the years, but mainly related to the strength of the ferry sector rather than any interference from supposedly bloody minded government departments.
All the best to GippsAero, and hope they get any reasonable support they need from state and federal governments to have access to the skilled workforce that is needed, etc, but short of cash handouts please... let them stand and thrive on their own merits!