Clearly we can't compete on building cars but is there something else that we are already doing that is niche, like mining, that we should be fostering, or what? Perhaps instead of cars the subsidies should be in mining engineering equipment, that includes the trucks and diggers etc? It's the same skill set surely. Ditch the Camry and build a Caterpillar.
To re-tool an existing manufacturing line is an enormous job and extremely expensive.
To then produce a vehicle that is already in production by someone else, the retooled plant could never compete.
In the Weekend Australian an article(by Kim Carr) explains that we subsidies the Australian auto industry $US18 per person(not per taxpayer).
In USA its $US96/head and Germany $US90/head.
Kim Carr is saying that there are 46,000 direct jobs and 200,000 in related industries.
So one would think that the industry is worth saving.
Another point is the Australian public is not going to go to the race tracks to watch a couple of Japanese cars race.
At Bathurst I mean, or the V8 series.
Or Japan versus South Korea.
Obviously. Bob Brown would be delighted to shut racing down.
Actually does anybody know what Bob watches on telly, you cannot see anything if its not turned on can you?(saving power).
Anyway Carr says there will be no surrender under Labor.
Perhaps he should explain to Gillard and Swan, if they did not stuff up the economy, people would have money to buy Australian cars.
Kim Carr is certainly supporting something that is worthwhile and Abbott's crew should be helping him out. But it is the "hidden happenings" that the public are not aware of,
that are more effective than a news paper article.
joea