So it got me thinking.
Rivierra Yachts - world class high end boats for the rich.
Holden and Ford Aust build cars unequaled at the price point.
Qantas - used to be the world leader in service, route network, aircraft operations, IT etc etc.
Gipsland Aero, aircraft designed and built in out own back yard.
Medical technology, industrial technology. etc etc.
Shame it didn't get you Googling instead.
Incat - heavily assisted by state and federal governments for years.
Holden and Ford (both owned overseas and have been for years, but anyway) - heavily subsidised, as is Toyota and as was Mitsubishi.
Qantas - It was Government owned, for God's sake.
Medical Technology - You mean like Cochlear, or CSL, both of which get or got huge assistance from the Govt.
You don't need to like the Government - this one or any other - but don't write rubbish.
I'm sure Bob would like to see tariffs and a massive return to protectionism. I've not checked but that was the One Nation policy at the time as I recall. Tariffs cause trade wars, drive up prices, suppress production, and stifle capital infusion. But this was the same party that thought if we don't have enough money we shouldn't borrow - we should just print more.
We do export a lot of rocks - we have a lot of them to export. But our third largest export industry after Iron Ore and coal is in fact education (it bounces around a bit but is usually 3rd or 4th - depends on the value of gold). All those Indian students so derided in this forum and their mates from overseas coming here to study.
Don't abandon Australia just yet. Where would you go? The US? Greece? The UK? Spain? Where are their economies at?
Australians - all think this is the greatest country on earth, but everything is crap. Stop talking the place down.