Boost to Manufacturing
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating announced, in 1984, the progressive removal of tariffs on imported vehicles – “I have created the freest economy in the world,” he said. And he had. Unfortunately no other country on earth went down this path.
In 1987, the Australian car manufacturing industry supplied 86% of the Australian market. In 2009, this figure had fallen to 21%. Within 10 years we will hardly have a car manufacturing industry. Mr Keating’s epitaph may well be ‘the quickest destruction of a sophisticated, advanced, technological economy in recent world history.’
AusParty's Roadmap for the Future
- Directs that all motor vehicles purchased under government contracts (maybe 20% of Australia’s car market) are Australian made.
(This mirrors the policy announced by US President Barack Obama to rescue the American Steel Industry after the Global Financial Crisis).
- Directs that 100 Patrol boats for coastal security and to provide a serious defence capability be built. These plus their component parts interception systems, helicopters, missiles and armaments are all to be built in Australia over a period of eight years. (Also see Defence)
- Directs that all clothing for Armed Forces, Police, Prisons to be manufactured in Australia.
- Directs that large areas will be secured as state (peoples) forests which will provide sustainable logging as well as providing a recreational (and cattle grazing) facility. (Also see Freedom and the Peoples Land) This will replace ‘clear felled’ timber sourced from Asia and preclude further large mono-timber plantations.
Where a mature tree is harvested it will be replaced by two native timber trees identical to the tree harvested.
Source: Data complied from PAXUS and VFACTS and Report for the Car Industry Council, Australian Government, Canberra19894 and Automotive Industry Authority, Report of the Automotive Industry, AGPS, Canberra.
