Was anyone fooled by Tony Abbott’s award-winning performance following the news that Ford will close its car manufacturing plants in Australia?
With a somber look, mustering all the compassion he could wring out, Abbott intoned that “this is a black day for Australian manufacturing”. With the impending loss of 1200 Ford jobs, plus many more indirectly, it sure is a dark day, but whose fault is that? Most people would have realised by now that Gillard and her cronies are useless, but the real danger is that some people will look at Tony Abbott and think that he is some kind of decent alternative.
Whilst Julia Gillard and the Labor Party deserve to cop a heap of flak over Ford’s departure, what with the impact of their disastrous Carbon Dioxide Tax upon Ford and other manufacturing businesses, there is a lot more to the situation than taxation policies. Indeed, both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party are at fault.
The fact is that Australia’s manufacturing industries have been decimated by the destruction of our country’s tariff barriers, which had been put into place to protect our industries, preserve jobs, keep money in Australia (rather than disappearing overseas), and offer a bit more of a “level playing field” against countries that pay workers a pittance for wages, have little in the way of workers’ rights, and even employ what amounts to slave labour.
How about we look at the facts and see if the crocodile tears from Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party are to be believed. (Let’s face it, the Labor Party long ago stopped giving a damn about Australian workers.)
Liberal economic doctrine demands that we open up our markets entirely; it announces that the Almighty Unseen Guiding Hand of Market Forces (which we are supposed to stand in awe before the power of) will decide which businesses stand and which should fail. This being the case, no businesses are worthy of “State support”, the idea is anathema to the economic rationalists behind the Liberal Party.
Back in the 1980s both the Labor and Liberal parties embraced the economic rationalist dogma with all the fervour of a rabid Mullah, opening up our markets to cheap imports and creating an exodus of Australian manufacturers to the enticing Third World countries where labour was dirt cheap, environmental legislation non-existent, and profit margins were high.
A black day for manufacturing, Tony? Indeed, but don’t pretend that you, or your Liberal-Labor fellow-travelers, give a damn about the effects of a situation which you lot not only created, but applaud as the economic ideal.
Tony Abbott may be good at manufacturing crocodile tears, but that is not going to give jobs to Australian workers. Manufacturing industries are needed to give Australians the full spectrum of job opportunities. Manufacturing jobs: Remember what they are, Tony? They’re what you and your mates have been destroying year after year, after year.
Our nation needs some sensible and moderate tariff barriers to protect the future of our manufacturing businesses (those that the Labor and Liberal parties haven’t already destroyed with their economic vandalism). Since Labor-Liberal are not going to save Australia (in fact, they are actively killing it), it’s about time that they were thrown out, and the Australian Protectionists let in to fix things up. Unlike the major parties, we have the future of the Australian People at heart.
References:
“Black day for car industry: Abbott”, Herald Sun, 23 May 2013
“Ford closure sends shockwave through manufacturing industry”, ABC News, 23 May 2013
“Ford workers ‘devastated’ by announcement Victorian plants will close in 2016”, Herald Sun, 23 May 2013
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This news was not unexpected.Many factors contributed to Fords decision-no tariffs, a heavily unionised workforce who are expensive to employ, high taxes and cheaper labor and production costs in Asian countries. They were perhaps also tired of constantly wasting money on useless A.D.R.’s.
Pollies pretending to be concerned about something they largely caused make me sick. Their ‘concern’ is no good to the workers now-after the event.
The trouble also lies with Asia putting downward presure on costs. The cowards at the bottom won’t stand up and demand better conditions,pay and safety. As a result,we can’t compete with their labor and production costs.
I had an XE Ford Fairmont V8 for many years-a great high quality car that made me proud of what we can do. I now drive a VW Amarok ute as no simular vehicle is made in Australia. Australian made would have been my first choice,however if I could have.
Not all Australians want to work in hospitality or I.T. They want to make things and get their hands dirty. The closure of Bonds underware should have taught us something.