Is Australia its own Worst Enemy?
Is Australia its own Worst Enemy?
Just watched a program on TV on great ships of the world. They highlighted a car ferry, a huge wave piercing catamaran. Lo and behold, it was built in Hobart by Incat. I;d heared fo them but didnt realise that they were such a big player in ship building, even building ships for the US Navy.
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.
We Aussies are a pretty clever lot...........sometimes.
So why arent these sort of companies household names, and supported by the government. A government that actively encourages business development and the creation of wealth.
Look what brazil does with racing drivers alone. A third world country has the 3rd biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world.
And our beloved government....all it can do is introduce a carbon tax, something that we dont want, dont need, and wont workanyway, but with a huge beuracracy to nail companies who dont report correctly their emissions.$1.1 in fines for non compliance I'm told.
Maybe its time to abandon Australia and head overseas.
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.
We Aussies are a pretty clever lot...........sometimes.
So why arent these sort of companies household names, and supported by the government. A government that actively encourages business development and the creation of wealth.
Look what brazil does with racing drivers alone. A third world country has the 3rd biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world.
And our beloved government....all it can do is introduce a carbon tax, something that we dont want, dont need, and wont workanyway, but with a huge beuracracy to nail companies who dont report correctly their emissions.$1.1 in fines for non compliance I'm told.
Maybe its time to abandon Australia and head overseas.
Think you'd find that some of the companies you mentioned have been supported for a long time, by successive governments -a policy I support incidentally.
I would love to see us move up the value chain from rocks.
I would love to see us move up the value chain from rocks.
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Bob johns
Too many.left wing clapped out politicians go to Geneva after getting booted out of their electorates after normal elections .These turds do more damage to this country than can be immagined .In1999 there were something like 3000 UN declarations signed by these people into our law without reference to our parliament.Could we sack the UN? I think we must . I was a canditate for both state and federal seats in the late 90 s and asked the question ,is there in Canberra a department of Deconstruction.?
Who are our leaders (?)selling out to? I would support any govt that would put Australia First and to hell with the rest
Who are our leaders (?)selling out to? I would support any govt that would put Australia First and to hell with the rest
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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.
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.
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.
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You blokes haven't done much research in the boat-building dept, have you? Or is it that the Left Coast doesn't appear on the radar of Right-Coasters? - who mostly appear to believe that the Left Coast is a blighted, sandy outpost of civilisation, that sports a greater population of kangaroos and emus than people?
Look up Austal. Yes, that same Austal that is a world leader in ferry and large troop transport vessels. So much so, that the Americans beat a path to our door, and have given Austal a huge chunk of U.S. military ship-building contracts (Littoral Combat Ship).
A large number of the European ferries currently in operation, are Austal-built.
A company that has never had to rely on the Govt support tit for its existence. A company that stands head and shoulders above any other boat building company in the world, for its advanced designs and ideas, superior construction, and performance.
A boat builder that has now opened a shipyard in America to meet the requirements of the U.S. military contract. Lets hand out some well-earned kudos where they're due.
We don't just dig up minerals here in the West, you know... even though Australias balance of trade is looking VERY healthy because of it.
That same sneered-at "digging up rocks", just happens to support a large number of pilots... not to mention a vast array of support industries such as the locomotive and rail industry, vehicle suppliers, mining supplies, accommodation manufacturing, road builders, earthmovers, cleaners, truck drivers... you name it.
In my middle-of-the-road suburban (5kms from the city) residential street, at least 20% of the people in this street rely on the mining industry to pay their mortgage and feed their kids.
That's nothing to be sneezed at. A lot of people have got very wealthy just being involved in mining support industries.
The NW Shelf of W.A. is currently the largest supplier of Natural Gas in the Southern Hemisphere. Shortly, the NW shelf gas will exceed any other gas supply area in the world. We supply gas to the huge industries and populations of China, Korea, Japan and a dozen other SE Asian nations.
Australias balance of trade is also VERY healthy because of NW Shelf gas. This industry is also a huge supplier of wealth to Australians, in the same form as "digging up rocks".
Manufacturing is a fickle industry, that has never supported Australia. We rode on the sheeps back, and grain, for a hundred years.
Then all that changed, when the rest of the world became less dependent on us for wool and wheat, and farming came under huge economic pressure, along with droughts and floods.
Manufacturing played a modest role in Australia from the late 1800's to the 1960's. That was done on the back of high tariffs and Govt intervention... not to mention a massive inflow of foreign capital (mostly American).
International Harvester, Ford, Holden, Chrysler... all started with vast amounts of American capital, aided by Govt assistance. Yes, those big American companies got lots of Govt money, and the fat profits that went with Govt support, and pent-up demand.
All that's changed too. China is now the worlds manufacturer. Forget about large-scale manufacturing in Australia, it is a niche business nowadays, and will be for the foreseeable future.
Our foreseeable future relies on minerals and gas production, with agriculture lagging a very distant 3rd, and manufacturing a very distant 4th. We can produce technologically-advanced ideas... but the products will be built in China.
The Atomic Absorption Spectrometer was an advanced (for the time) CSIRO idea, and produced by us for the rest of the world. The time of AAS machines is now gone, bettered by newer and more advanced technology.
The world is a highly competitive, ever-changing marketplace, and communication of ideas is instant in this Internet age.
We will produce technologically-advanced ideas in the future.. but imagining that we will be able to build a huge industry and massive wealth around them is nonsense.
The greatest thing that any Aussie Govt can do is invest substantial capital and support into the CSIRO. Research support is what makes a nation stay ahead of the curve.
America and numerous other nations have invested heavily in research in the last 50-80 years, but America and many of those other nations have now reduced their support in research areas, mostly because they took the easy path, led by treasonous corporate leaders, and merely shifted their manufacturing, jobs, (and their technology) offshore... in the name of short term gain.
The hens are coming home to roost for those nations (America in particular)... but unfortunately for those myopic leaders, it's not hens that are descending from the sky... it's vultures...
Look up Austal. Yes, that same Austal that is a world leader in ferry and large troop transport vessels. So much so, that the Americans beat a path to our door, and have given Austal a huge chunk of U.S. military ship-building contracts (Littoral Combat Ship).
A large number of the European ferries currently in operation, are Austal-built.
A company that has never had to rely on the Govt support tit for its existence. A company that stands head and shoulders above any other boat building company in the world, for its advanced designs and ideas, superior construction, and performance.
A boat builder that has now opened a shipyard in America to meet the requirements of the U.S. military contract. Lets hand out some well-earned kudos where they're due.
We don't just dig up minerals here in the West, you know... even though Australias balance of trade is looking VERY healthy because of it.
That same sneered-at "digging up rocks", just happens to support a large number of pilots... not to mention a vast array of support industries such as the locomotive and rail industry, vehicle suppliers, mining supplies, accommodation manufacturing, road builders, earthmovers, cleaners, truck drivers... you name it.
In my middle-of-the-road suburban (5kms from the city) residential street, at least 20% of the people in this street rely on the mining industry to pay their mortgage and feed their kids.
That's nothing to be sneezed at. A lot of people have got very wealthy just being involved in mining support industries.
The NW Shelf of W.A. is currently the largest supplier of Natural Gas in the Southern Hemisphere. Shortly, the NW shelf gas will exceed any other gas supply area in the world. We supply gas to the huge industries and populations of China, Korea, Japan and a dozen other SE Asian nations.
Australias balance of trade is also VERY healthy because of NW Shelf gas. This industry is also a huge supplier of wealth to Australians, in the same form as "digging up rocks".
Manufacturing is a fickle industry, that has never supported Australia. We rode on the sheeps back, and grain, for a hundred years.
Then all that changed, when the rest of the world became less dependent on us for wool and wheat, and farming came under huge economic pressure, along with droughts and floods.
Manufacturing played a modest role in Australia from the late 1800's to the 1960's. That was done on the back of high tariffs and Govt intervention... not to mention a massive inflow of foreign capital (mostly American).
International Harvester, Ford, Holden, Chrysler... all started with vast amounts of American capital, aided by Govt assistance. Yes, those big American companies got lots of Govt money, and the fat profits that went with Govt support, and pent-up demand.
All that's changed too. China is now the worlds manufacturer. Forget about large-scale manufacturing in Australia, it is a niche business nowadays, and will be for the foreseeable future.
Our foreseeable future relies on minerals and gas production, with agriculture lagging a very distant 3rd, and manufacturing a very distant 4th. We can produce technologically-advanced ideas... but the products will be built in China.
The Atomic Absorption Spectrometer was an advanced (for the time) CSIRO idea, and produced by us for the rest of the world. The time of AAS machines is now gone, bettered by newer and more advanced technology.
The world is a highly competitive, ever-changing marketplace, and communication of ideas is instant in this Internet age.
We will produce technologically-advanced ideas in the future.. but imagining that we will be able to build a huge industry and massive wealth around them is nonsense.
The greatest thing that any Aussie Govt can do is invest substantial capital and support into the CSIRO. Research support is what makes a nation stay ahead of the curve.
America and numerous other nations have invested heavily in research in the last 50-80 years, but America and many of those other nations have now reduced their support in research areas, mostly because they took the easy path, led by treasonous corporate leaders, and merely shifted their manufacturing, jobs, (and their technology) offshore... in the name of short term gain.
The hens are coming home to roost for those nations (America in particular)... but unfortunately for those myopic leaders, it's not hens that are descending from the sky... it's vultures...
Last edited by onetrack; 30th Jul 2011 at 16:33.
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Austal Ships is under one of the inbound points for Jandakot, I remember looking at that one they built for Greg Norman! 
AS for this government they are not interested in creating wealth, they just want to redistribute other peoples'. Lucky they have Western Australia's "rocks" to prop the rest of the country up
AS for this government they are not interested in creating wealth, they just want to redistribute other peoples'. Lucky they have Western Australia's "rocks" to prop the rest of the country up
Austal Ships is under one of the inbound points for Jandakot, I remember looking at that one they built for Greg Norman!
AS for this government they are not interested in creating wealth, they just want to redistribute other peoples'. Lucky they have Western Australia's "rocks" to prop the rest of the country up
AS for this government they are not interested in creating wealth, they just want to redistribute other peoples'. Lucky they have Western Australia's "rocks" to prop the rest of the country up
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For all the the rock digging we are doing in northwest WA we arent putting much infrastructure back into it. Mining companies do most of the investing in such things as rail and road. Anyone who has lived up that way knows housing is expensive health care services are low , As the saying goes 'If in pain get on the plane'.Utility's are struggling to keep up with the pace of development.
Would be great to have an additional city in the NW where housing was affordable and we encouraged other industry's . So when the rocks have gone we have something tangible to hang our hats on..... other than holes in the ground.
Would be great to have an additional city in the NW where housing was affordable and we encouraged other industry's . So when the rocks have gone we have something tangible to hang our hats on..... other than holes in the ground.
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A winner we gave away through lack of federal cash or enthusiasm to keep it in the country was Victa. given to the Kiwi's who then sold it back to us.
Why invest in industry in Australia when we can all dabble with "hot air shares" that don't really produce anything, employs nobody, except bureaucrats and sends our wealth overseas instead of giving it to the poor reffo's who come here for the freebies.
Anybody want to buy a harbour bridge? (or an airport).
Why invest in industry in Australia when we can all dabble with "hot air shares" that don't really produce anything, employs nobody, except bureaucrats and sends our wealth overseas instead of giving it to the poor reffo's who come here for the freebies.
Anybody want to buy a harbour bridge? (or an airport).
I think we are all getting pretty annoyed at the way this country is being run but unless someone holds a gun to the heads (figuratively speaking) of those that take our money (taxes, the Govt) off us & spend it willfully then we are doomed as a strong long term healthy nation.
Australia really is the best country in so many ways but we only have one real asset.....POTENTIAL..........but we shall never realize it
Wmk2
Australia really is the best country in so many ways but we only have one real asset.....POTENTIAL..........but we shall never realize it
Wmk2
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It's because it's the best country in the world others would take it from us, by stealth or force, given half the chance.
But, like aviation, who cares?
But, like aviation, who cares?
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Frank Arouet, its far cheaper to trade than invade. The allies in WW2 required nearly 5,000 vessels to cross just over 125 miles of water to reach a part of France that was closely attached to the rest of the country. Take a look at what would be required to invade Australia. In reality you don't need to invade to control. All that is required is to control the trade routes, i.e. S. E. Asia.
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GG - Well, Austal used to just build boats... now they build stuff that's big enough to be called ships. Where's the "line in the sand" difference? Buggered if I know. Maybe Cap'n Drapes can fill us all in on the difference?
Hasherucf - You're spot on with your statements. With the wealth coming out of Australias ground, we should be building water and power infrastructure, cities, and all the long-term requirements needed for the expanded population in 50 years time.
I think it's disgraceful that the number of imported luxury vehicles has soared to vastly increased levels in recent years... this is just one of many indicators, that we are swapping our finite wealth, for manufactured disposable goods, that will be just landfill in 10 yrs.
Unfortunately, we have a country run by politicians, not Statesmen or Stateswomen. The difference between them? Politicians make ad-hoc decisions and plan on the run... with the Party faithful the primary beneficiaries... and decisions made with an eye to winning the next election. Statesmen and Stateswomen make sound decisions and instigate long-term plans, for the benefit of the country and its citizens in the future.
To put it into aviation context... if Australia was an aircraft, it would become airborne without a flight plan... take off without a meteorological check, be flown by pilots with little control skills (but smooth voices on the RC)... and the pax would have no idea where they will end up. Fortunately for the poorly-skilled pilots, about 30% of the pax are apathetic about their pilots skills, and their destination.
Hasherucf - You're spot on with your statements. With the wealth coming out of Australias ground, we should be building water and power infrastructure, cities, and all the long-term requirements needed for the expanded population in 50 years time.
I think it's disgraceful that the number of imported luxury vehicles has soared to vastly increased levels in recent years... this is just one of many indicators, that we are swapping our finite wealth, for manufactured disposable goods, that will be just landfill in 10 yrs.
Unfortunately, we have a country run by politicians, not Statesmen or Stateswomen. The difference between them? Politicians make ad-hoc decisions and plan on the run... with the Party faithful the primary beneficiaries... and decisions made with an eye to winning the next election. Statesmen and Stateswomen make sound decisions and instigate long-term plans, for the benefit of the country and its citizens in the future.
To put it into aviation context... if Australia was an aircraft, it would become airborne without a flight plan... take off without a meteorological check, be flown by pilots with little control skills (but smooth voices on the RC)... and the pax would have no idea where they will end up. Fortunately for the poorly-skilled pilots, about 30% of the pax are apathetic about their pilots skills, and their destination.
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Bob johns
This looks like a good thread.Finally the truth has all the skills of a clairvoint in deducing that I was a One Nation candidate in the late 90s as I use my own name and not a psudenym. Real rocket science mate. Two campaigns in 6 months,Gwydir and Barwon around 23% of the primary vote in each ,scared the **** out of both incumbents, but that ,12843 hrs in steam driven aeroplanes in 5 countries a master grade in many years of competition rifle shooting and 50 buck will buy a carton of piss in the bush where I now live trying to make a quid out of cattle Wasnt going to bad until some f---wit went and blew the live cattle industry up the spout . We quit wheat growing years ago when we decided we could no longer continue to donate 1000 ton of good quality grain to the AWB at .$100 a ton and see it sold in places like Iraq for $1400 US That is why I would like to see a govt in this country that will look to its own people first. I was always.taught as a kid that charity starts at home .Its all very well to look outside to help the less fortunate than we are but we must remember who produces the food and fibre for own domestic consumption because in my own experience ,mate .there aint any good samaratins in Asia
Last edited by bob johns; 31st Jul 2011 at 14:11. Reason: lousi spelen
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GA
Not to mention GA not Aussie anymore...Following the majority acquisition of GippsAero by Mahindra Aerospace earlier this year a great deal of progress has been made in all areas of the company and there will be a great deal more happening in the New Year.
I mean great with the new aircraft being built, however anything Aussie that makes it seems to disappear offshore anyway!
Aussie the land of opportunity, the land of the battler, the land of the can do, the land of huge taxes, of, well lets not get started shall we!
By choice I live OS and love it!
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PLovett;
Invading Australia by force is not an acheivable option. You would require at least one Armoured Division and there is nowhere to land them plus maintain their logistical support. (I can debate this by PM if you like. I am a retired Army Officer).
I mentioned the matter to concentrate the mind on how serious our invasion by stealth is. And that is happening now.
You mean like the people smugglers routes?
BTW, I didn't think the Channel was 125 miles wide, but you do illustrate the point I made in para 1. It's not just the landing, but maintaining the physical lines of communication. Oh, and the last free sea lane left in the World is The Southern Ocean.
Invading Australia by force is not an acheivable option. You would require at least one Armoured Division and there is nowhere to land them plus maintain their logistical support. (I can debate this by PM if you like. I am a retired Army Officer).
I mentioned the matter to concentrate the mind on how serious our invasion by stealth is. And that is happening now.
control the trade routes, i.e. S. E. Asia.
BTW, I didn't think the Channel was 125 miles wide, but you do illustrate the point I made in para 1. It's not just the landing, but maintaining the physical lines of communication. Oh, and the last free sea lane left in the World is The Southern Ocean.
Last edited by Frank Arouet; 31st Jul 2011 at 23:27.
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What a bunch of whinging, whining, moaning, paranoid xenophobic do-nothings you lot are.
If in doubt do not research anything, just Blame the Gummint, especially if it is a Labour one. Get on pprune and pillory whomever the Murdoch media has demonized recently!
Little Johnny did more than his fair share of sabotage to Australian manufacturing by removing R&D incentive (business welfare I think he called it) and signing us up to a Free Trade Agreement with the US. FFS! do you think that the yanks sign up to anything that is not absolutely in their interest. FTA is farcical when it come to Australian side. nothing fair or free about it.
Where is the serious investment in manufacturing by Australian corporates? - No where, short term optimized dividends rule with no vision for the future. any number of local corporates could have snapped Gippsland Aeronautics up for peanuts, but none tried, it was too easy to play short term paper games on other markets. GA needs major funding to dvelop and promote the foreshadowed product line, if redesin=gning and manufacturing the Nomad is still on the cards, as previously announced. Mahindra is a huge company who have made a serious investment for the long term according to the media releases of that time. At least at this point in time they are pouring money INTO and this Australian based company, not ripping it out. We will watch and see.
This is not a political issue as some self interested bigots would like to convince others of. Australia is f#ckin huge and has a few people living around some of the edge bits. Economy of scale is not favourable and the tyranny of distance is a serious impost on industry. The seppos have huge protectionism at every level in every industry, (a major form of socialism, although strongly biased toward their major industrialists), large population, major regional centres of population and industry/business and access to cheap energy and other resources.
Another thing that the yanks do is buy their local products and be proud of it! whet do we see here, especially on pprune is heavily biased, prejudicial statements about our local aviation products in particular, GA8 - slow, crap seats (safest ones in the world apparently, but that doesn't count) Nomad, slow, crap seats and .....wait for it....A Widdowmaker!!!.... the ABC and the murdoch press really did a number there. The biased, unfounded and dis/misinformative sound bites are is still regurgitated by others here, who know no better,on the Nomad thread.
The 'Government' can help foster Australian industry by just buying, or using, Australian in many cases, in fact it is about the ONLY real way to support local manufacturing, but we have such a hideous cultural cringe that we would rather sh!tcan collins subs, bushmaster vehicles and our own local aircraft amongst ourselves than to take the opportunity to push local products as a matter of course, and buy them whenever practicable. this promotes development and research and helps strengthen all these industries. This can then enable the local products to EXPORT, which is where the money really is. We do not have a significant local market to support manufacturing at competitive price but Australian ingenuity and inventiveness is a resource that is our biggest asset and is often well worth the money. Then it all comes back to the bean counters and people like GA, with their aircarft certified to the latest standards, have to compete with US manufacturers who are still building the same tired old designs to their old grandfathered, standards, but cheaply, cessna even manufacturing in china now. Projects like JSF and that stupid, stupid navy helicopter, as well as countless many other procurement debacles show that we don't always get such a great deal when we ask the USA to help us out. The South Africans, the Swedes and the Israelis develop and use their own products and as a consequence have innovative indigenous industries as a consequence, although for widely differing politico/economic reasons.
Use your power for the forces of goodness and niceness instead of the forces of vitriol and misery. Stand up for your local products, next tender you apply for, quote on a brand new Airvan (still a fully Australian designed and manufactured product), instead of a clapped out old 182/206 for that State Government contract, because the local product is better, safer and more efficient. Talk the talk and convince them that this is a better option, despite the higher associated initial costs.
I bet you don't. It is cheaper and easier go in with a cut throat price, whiteant the local industry and then blame the tree hugging, lefties in Canberra. Grow up, you are the problem, not the shining light with the solution. You are most likely driving a toyota, wearing chinese manufactured clothing and have a house full of imported appliances. Look around yourself, what are YOU doing to help ANY Australian manufacturing business? I will be happy to be proved wrong.
HD
If in doubt do not research anything, just Blame the Gummint, especially if it is a Labour one. Get on pprune and pillory whomever the Murdoch media has demonized recently!
Little Johnny did more than his fair share of sabotage to Australian manufacturing by removing R&D incentive (business welfare I think he called it) and signing us up to a Free Trade Agreement with the US. FFS! do you think that the yanks sign up to anything that is not absolutely in their interest. FTA is farcical when it come to Australian side. nothing fair or free about it.
Where is the serious investment in manufacturing by Australian corporates? - No where, short term optimized dividends rule with no vision for the future. any number of local corporates could have snapped Gippsland Aeronautics up for peanuts, but none tried, it was too easy to play short term paper games on other markets. GA needs major funding to dvelop and promote the foreshadowed product line, if redesin=gning and manufacturing the Nomad is still on the cards, as previously announced. Mahindra is a huge company who have made a serious investment for the long term according to the media releases of that time. At least at this point in time they are pouring money INTO and this Australian based company, not ripping it out. We will watch and see.
This is not a political issue as some self interested bigots would like to convince others of. Australia is f#ckin huge and has a few people living around some of the edge bits. Economy of scale is not favourable and the tyranny of distance is a serious impost on industry. The seppos have huge protectionism at every level in every industry, (a major form of socialism, although strongly biased toward their major industrialists), large population, major regional centres of population and industry/business and access to cheap energy and other resources.
Another thing that the yanks do is buy their local products and be proud of it! whet do we see here, especially on pprune is heavily biased, prejudicial statements about our local aviation products in particular, GA8 - slow, crap seats (safest ones in the world apparently, but that doesn't count) Nomad, slow, crap seats and .....wait for it....A Widdowmaker!!!.... the ABC and the murdoch press really did a number there. The biased, unfounded and dis/misinformative sound bites are is still regurgitated by others here, who know no better,on the Nomad thread.
The 'Government' can help foster Australian industry by just buying, or using, Australian in many cases, in fact it is about the ONLY real way to support local manufacturing, but we have such a hideous cultural cringe that we would rather sh!tcan collins subs, bushmaster vehicles and our own local aircraft amongst ourselves than to take the opportunity to push local products as a matter of course, and buy them whenever practicable. this promotes development and research and helps strengthen all these industries. This can then enable the local products to EXPORT, which is where the money really is. We do not have a significant local market to support manufacturing at competitive price but Australian ingenuity and inventiveness is a resource that is our biggest asset and is often well worth the money. Then it all comes back to the bean counters and people like GA, with their aircarft certified to the latest standards, have to compete with US manufacturers who are still building the same tired old designs to their old grandfathered, standards, but cheaply, cessna even manufacturing in china now. Projects like JSF and that stupid, stupid navy helicopter, as well as countless many other procurement debacles show that we don't always get such a great deal when we ask the USA to help us out. The South Africans, the Swedes and the Israelis develop and use their own products and as a consequence have innovative indigenous industries as a consequence, although for widely differing politico/economic reasons.
Use your power for the forces of goodness and niceness instead of the forces of vitriol and misery. Stand up for your local products, next tender you apply for, quote on a brand new Airvan (still a fully Australian designed and manufactured product), instead of a clapped out old 182/206 for that State Government contract, because the local product is better, safer and more efficient. Talk the talk and convince them that this is a better option, despite the higher associated initial costs.
I bet you don't. It is cheaper and easier go in with a cut throat price, whiteant the local industry and then blame the tree hugging, lefties in Canberra. Grow up, you are the problem, not the shining light with the solution. You are most likely driving a toyota, wearing chinese manufactured clothing and have a house full of imported appliances. Look around yourself, what are YOU doing to help ANY Australian manufacturing business? I will be happy to be proved wrong.
HD