Australian manufacturing, not so bad...

[burnz]

http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/ab...gn=newsletters
Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, is claiming that opposition leader Tony Abbott has “demonstrated once again his profound hostility to Australian manufacturing” by proposing to take $500 million from the Automotive Transformation Scheme.

According to Senator Carr, this “shows his callous disregard for the future of the automotive industry and the 200,000 workers and their families who depend upon it.”

“The ATS underpins the automotive industry in Australia. In South Australia alone it constitutes 2.5 per cent of state GDP,” said Senator Car.

“I trust Mr Abbott has had the courage to front the workers at Elizabeth and tell them he intends to put their jobs on the line.”

Abbott’s proposal comes in addition to the tough decision taken to close the Green Car Innovation Fund to help rebuild devastated communities.

“I’ve spoken to the companies, to workers and to unions to affirm that our commitment to the automotive industry remains strong, and the bulk of the funds in the Government’s New Car Plan remain intact,” Senator Carr said.

“It’s a disgrace that Tony Abbott sees this as an opportunity to sacrifice the gains we made through the New Car Plan by slashing funding to pre-2007 levels.

“Only Labor understands that manufacturing is vital to a broad-based and sustainable national economy.”

Through the $5.4 billion New Car Plan, which includes the $3.4 billion Automotive Transformation Scheme, the Government claims it will continue to invest strongly in the automotive industry up to 2020.
The Government’s continued commitment is underpinning investment, building capability and expanding markets internationally, Senator Car claims.

He says it is producing higher-quality vehicles and high-skilled, high-wage jobs for Australians.

“The Green Car Innovation Fund put up to $500 million into our manufacturing sector, which will secure approximately $2 billion in total investment,” Senator Carr said.

[burnz]

http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/we...-manufacturing
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Innovation Minister Kim Carr have met with senior industry figures to ‘guarantee the future of the car industry in Australia’, after speculation that the Liberal Party is ‘hostile’ towards manufacturing.

According to a press notice from Senator Kim Carr, Tony Abbott has ‘targeted car manufacturing’ by proposing to take $500 million from the Automotive Transformation Scheme.

According to Senator Carr, this move shows Abbott’s “callous disregard for the future of the automotive industry and the 200,000 workers and their families who depend upon it.”

“The recent floods and other natural disasters across our nation represent an extraordinary and unprecedented set of circumstances,” said Senator Carr.

“This has required some tough budget cutbacks, including savings in the Federal Government’s New Car Plan, so that funds can be redirected into the rebuilding of roads, bridges, rail lines and public facilities in flood ravaged communities.

“But the Government understands the need for certainty and the long lead times for investment in the highly competitive automotive industry.”

The Prime Minister and Senator Carr have confirmed to the automotive industry that all other parts of the New Car Plan for a Greener Future will be retained.

The New Car Plan reportedly helped see Australia through the worst economic crisis faced by manufacturing since the Great Depression and the changes will help ensure its future.

Senator Carr said it was a capital intensive industry and it was important that Australian car producers remained at the forefront of development.

“What we are making is a commitment to all other elements of the New Car Plan. That includes the Automotive Transformation Scheme, the Automotive Industrial Structural Adjustment Program, the Automotive Supply Chain Program, the Automotive Market Access Program and the Automotive Industry Innovation Council,” Senator Carr said.

“This underwrites high-skilled, high-tech manufacturing jobs and a more productive economy.

“The New Car Plan will help attract and retain international investment and foster continuous innovation within the industry.”

[burnz]

the above post are not ment to be political!!
sorry burnz..

[Van D]

It's going to bite the dust one day, I'd be happy if they largely pulled the plug on the industry today. As much a car enthusiast that I am, it's been down the drain for what, 10-15 years now? And as a citizen, I don't know what the following do or achieve and simply don't care "That includes the Automotive Transformation Scheme, the Automotive Industrial Structural Adjustment Program, the Automotive Supply Chain Program, the Automotive Market Access Program and the Automotive Industry Innovation Council."
Car companies haven't been listening to what the consumers want for years, their fault, our money doesn't need to bail them out time and time again. I'd rather my tax money going to something worthwhile, though I know it probably never will. Australia's industrial and manufacturing sectors should be focused on industrial and medical hemp right now.

[vztrt]

Could people also remember that building cars are not the only form of manufacturing Australia has.

We still have plenty of food, building products, furniture/beds, pipes & cement (this will boom in the next 10 years).

[aualright]

Being political for a moment...the conservatives were the ones that put the brakes on the tarrif reduction plans that Keating put in place a while ago. This plan was supposed to make us concentrate on doing things we do best which apparently didn't include manufacturing re International Economics 101. The rag trade was one of the first to be impacted which is why all our clothes, etc are made in China and alot cheaper.

Depending on where you stand, Abbott's idea has merit but his party's inconsistency on these matters astounds me. Me thinks he doesn't see votes in propping up the car industry (unlike Howard) as it is the traditional working class vote that would be against it.

They have moved further to the right since he took over and aren't really a 'liberal' party anymore.

All his Torie mates couldn't give a stuff about the Australian car industry since they wouldn't be seen dead in a Falcon or Commodore anyway. Seems like an easy decision (politically). The first step in many, perhaps.

****

[prydey]

i'm amused that people whinge about big multinational companies (coles/woollies etc) putting the squeeze on local products and smaller businesses, but the same people that whinge about that, go out and buy a korean car.

hypocritical much?

[SLO AU XR8]

So based on the whinging about S.A's automotive industry, Tony Abbott wants to pull $500m from the save Holden fund..... I see no problems with that!

[Gobes32]

By all means pull the funding from Australia's car industry, the problem is though, what jobs do we replace them with? We can't all go work in a mine, or become IT specialists, so you end up with 100,000 people on the dole and no jobs for them to work. I am by no means defending the manufacturing industry, moreso I just want to point out why most governments have been reluctant to do it so far.

[SB076]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

By all means pull the funding from Australia's car industry, the problem is though, what jobs do we replace them with? We can't all go work in a mine, or become IT specialists, so you end up with 100,000 people on the dole and no jobs for them to work. I am by no means defending the manufacturing industry, moreso I just want to point out why most governments have been reluctant to do it so far.

People forget that, and to add to that if the automotive industry does shut up shop those affected employees, no longer build new houses (affects building industry) they no longer spend money at the shops (retail industry) they no longer go on holidays (tourism industry) So the jobs lost in the automotive industry would just be the tip of the iceberg.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by SLO AU XR8

So based on the whinging about S.A's automotive industry, Tony Abbott wants to pull $500m from the save Holden fund..... I see no problems with that!

I do. As much as I like to give Holden a hard time, I feel for the families of the workers and would hate to think that they would lose jobs, then cars, then homes and then lives as a result of lost funding. Just because they work for Holden doesn't make them bad people. They just want to work and support families and lives.

[Van D]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

By all means pull the funding from Australia's car industry, the problem is though, what jobs do we replace them with? We can't all go work in a mine, or become IT specialists, so you end up with 100,000 people on the dole and no jobs for them to work. I am by no means defending the manufacturing industry, moreso I just want to point out why most governments have been reluctant to do it so far.

Industrial and medical hemp.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by Van D

Industrial and medical hemp.

Go on the production lines at any of the car manufacturers, and you'll see that 10% of the workers already support the hemp industry.

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

Go on the production lines at any of the car manufacturers, and you'll see that 10% of the workers already support the hemp industry.

I am dying to know what it is you do for a living.......

[388cube_edxr8]

Umm he's got a TV show.

Watch it and tell me that guy's sober.

How much more off topic can a thread get?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

become IT specialists

Heh, thats why I'm in a trade, too many people with those degrees, too hard to get a foot in the door, everyone wants experience but no one wants to take on the new guy.

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Heh, thats why I'm in a trade, too many people with those degrees, too hard to get a foot in the door, everyone wants experience but no one wants to take on the new guy.

My partner is in job recruitment. And the amount of people with IT degrees looking for work is astonshing. It's a well known fact that the major IT employers like to pick people from a certain country who have a proven work ethic and tend to accept bad pay and conditions. It's a race to the bottom when that starts happening.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

My partner is in job recruitment. And the amount of people with IT degrees looking for work is astonshing. It's a well known fact that the major IT employers like to pick people from a certain country who have a proven work ethic and tend to accept bad pay and conditions. It's a race to the bottom when that starts happening.

What. as opposed to superheroes who can do very little on their own, spend 100 hours researching a problem on Google (or facebook) rather than ask someone in the work place as that may show they are not EXPERTS who know EVERYTHING, lie and blame everyone and anything else when they stuff things up yet expect to be paid huge amounts of money for flexible work hours that NEVER include nights or weekends or good fishing weather?

Unfortunately the superheroes with the dunny roll from the University of "still actually just a twenty something year old school kid" do not realise that THEY ARE ALREADY AT THE BOTTOM and while they continue to refuse to accept that 15 years of school does not make up for 6 months of ACTUAL practical work they are going to stay there........

[Gobes32]

Did I touch a nerve? Goodness me, all I was doing was agreeing with Big Damo as to how competitive the IT industry is. And university grads who know it all are prevalent in manufacturing as well. But now I am making a generilisation of all youth, and that would be off topic.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

I do. As much as I like to give Holden a hard time, I feel for the families of the workers and would hate to think that they would lose jobs, then cars, then homes and then lives as a result of lost funding. Just because they work for Holden doesn't make them bad people. They just want to work and support families and lives.

And you can bet if Holden dont exist here, theres no RWD in the same price bracket. Falcon would be dead too, Ford would have absolutely no reason to bother anymore. It certainly would change it all anyway.

So long as everyone is happy with larger Euro and US markets dictating what we drive, I suppose it doesnt matter that we dont make cars here anymore.

[Barnaby]

For someone who has worked as a tradesman & now post Tertiary system, the grass is much greener on this side.

Education opens doors.