Why do we have fruit rotting on trees because farmers can't find the labour to pick it ? It's not worth it for the locals, they get more on the dole. How about a guest worker scheme ? Plenty of cheap labour available overseas, pay them the award and charge the employer a small levy so that an Australian will always be cheaper but someone will always be available.
I am not opposed to the concept of guest workers where necessary, who spend much of their income in Australia anyhow.
But why do we need expensive guest workers when in other developed countries the process of fuit picking has been totally mechanised? Citrus, apples, pears, olives, grapes, bananas, stone fruit and nuts are now harvested in other developed countries by machines, very efficiently and in a very cost effective manner.
One recent TV article from California demonstrated that two workers, with two specialised machines, can selectively pick over 100 acres of premium ripe citrus fruit per day.
And where does that Californian citrus fruit end up? In Coles and Woolworths because our fruit industry won't invest in technology and innovation and can't compete on price!
Our grain and sugar industry has efficiently mechanised and is a net exporter; why can't our fruit industry modernise and efficiently produce fruit at reasonable prices, rather than being a net importer of fruit to meet the Australian demand?
Why does our meat producing industry produce world class live beef, lamb, pork and poultry at very competitive prices, but our inefficient meat processing industry can not compete in quality or price and Australia is a net importer of pork from Canada??
Why must the discerning, non price sensitive Australian business class traveller to Europe travel on a Etihad, Saudi, Singapore or Cathay to get the quality service he expects, rather than travel on our national airline?
