Australian Politics Forum - Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying

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Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Aug 6^th, 2021 at 9:40am

All Australian manufacturing except for food and building materials is in permanent decline.

Even building materials are under threat as imported bricks and other building goods are growing their market share.

Australia can't even make bricks on an internationally competitive basis despite the huge costs of shipping bricks.

Rising wages will eventually impact agriculture as well.

It is also arguable that building materials manufacturing is artificially propped up by the huge rates of immigration prior to Covid.

https://cdn.aigroup.com.au/Economic_Indicators/Economic_Outlook/Australian_Manuf...

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aquascoot

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #1 - Aug 6^th, 2021 at 9:46am

Sometimes I think ltyc
That apart from me and my colleagues working in agriculture
Everyone in Australia just sees their job as being a consumer

Produce nothing risk nothing do nothing be nothing

How mediocre

But let's all be jealous of China which makes all the world's
Clothing shoes
Toys
Furniture
Phones
Laptops
Computer chips
Half the pharmaceuticals
Building materials
Plumbing supplies
Electrical supplies
Batteries
And soon electric vehicles

Let's put crap on them

While we comfort ourselves with our Victa mowers and Hills hoists Grin

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #2 - Aug 6^th, 2021 at 9:54am

Can anyone think of an Australian product that has survived the Australian manufacturing decline and prospered? I think there are few if any.

Even the once-ubiquitous Victa mower is no longer Australian-owned.

The state of mind of consumers has changed and nobody wants or needs a product that will last 20+ years because cost of maintenance and repair is rising faster than the price of new goods.

Consumers are also conditioned to the fact that anything more than 10 years old, including cars is a throw-away item that is obsolete.

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freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48867 At my desk.	Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying Reply #3 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 8:01am Australia does a lot of chemical manufacturing, for example in the narcotics industry.
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UnSubRocky Gold Member Offline Crocodile Hunter: Origins Posts: 24767 Rockhampton Gender:	Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying Reply #4 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.
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Grappler Truth Teller Feller

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #5 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:40pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

Been steadily declining for the past 30 years is how... name me a major city you would want to live in today compared to 30 years ago.

Crime seems to pay.

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freediver

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #6 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:42pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

You got it backwards. We don't do manufacturing because of our high standard of living. Manufacturing is the new basket weaving. You might as well complain that we don't do phone support for Indian IT companies.

All we have to do to be a world class manufacturer is halve our salaries and breed like rabbits.

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Grappler Truth Teller Feller

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #7 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:44pm

aquascoot wrote on Aug 6^th, 2021 at 9:46am:

Sometimes I think ltyc
That apart from me and my colleagues working in agriculture
Everyone in Australia just sees their job as being a consumer

Produce nothing risk nothing do nothing be nothing

How mediocre

But let's all be jealous of China which makes all the world's
Clothing shoes
Toys
Furniture
Phones
Laptops
Computer chips
Half the pharmaceuticals
Building materials
Plumbing supplies
Electrical supplies
Batteries
And soon electric vehicles

Let's put crap on them

While we comfort ourselves with our Victa mowers and Hills hoists Grin

Yes, the endless rolling of coins around maintains a facade of prosperity.

Oh - look at me - I can buy my road toll to work this week, twice a day if I want! Or buy a railway ticket at ten times the price of 2010!! Riches!!

Rapid inflation and declining real value of the dollar helps to prop up this house of cards, along with low interest rates giving the illusion that there's plenty to go around.

I feel a crunch coming on. Once this madness subsides, I anticipate a lot of houses on the market again. Just not sustainable.

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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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UnSubRocky

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #8 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:45pm

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:40pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

Been steadily declining for the past 30 years is how... name me a major city you would want to live in today compared to 30 years ago.

Crime seems to pay.

Brisbane seems to be on the improve compared to 30 years ago.

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At this stage...

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UnSubRocky

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #9 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:47pm

freediver wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:42pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

You got it backwards. We don't do manufacturing because of our high standard of living. Manufacturing is the new basket weaving. You might as well complain that we don't do phone support for Indian IT companies.

All we have to do to be a world class manufacturer is halve our salaries and breed like rabbits.

Well, yeah, basically we have to have a low standard of living to be competitive with our low income neighbours in producing manufacturing. If people would not be content with the dole, we could have a moderate manufacturing industry in whatever investors would try.

But, it seems like the United States and Europe are pushing for us Australians to become the paupers of the western world and get Australia to produce raw materials and food for the cheap.

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freediver

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #10 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:51pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:47pm:

freediver wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:42pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

You got it backwards. We don't do manufacturing because of our high standard of living. Manufacturing is the new basket weaving. You might as well complain that we don't do phone support for Indian IT companies.

All we have to do to be a world class manufacturer is halve our salaries and breed like rabbits.

Well, yeah, basically we have to have a low standard of living to be competitive with our low income neighbours in producing manufacturing. If people would not be content with the dole, we could have a moderate manufacturing industry in whatever investors would try.

They still have to compete with coal and gas for good people. We do have a few small niche manufacturers that do well, but only the ones that can operate with few staff relative to their output, or have some other kind of advantage.

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Laugh till you cry

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #11 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 1:14pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

Australians have evolved. They have jumped from the sheep's back to the miner's back.

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Grappler Truth Teller Feller

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #12 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 1:30pm

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:45pm:

Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:40pm:

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 7^th, 2021 at 12:37pm:

I am not a pessimist. But, LTYC is fairly accurate on this topic. Australia does not produce much for the world -- except food and natural resources. It is a wonder how Australia has managed to maintain our standard of living in the last 30 years.

Been steadily declining for the past 30 years is how... name me a major city you would want to live in today compared to 30 years ago.

Crime seems to pay.

Brisbane seems to be on the improve compared to 30 years ago.

Something had to be done for it...........

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Laugh till you cry

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Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying
Reply #13 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 1:57pm

All of Australia's mineral resources are finite and iron will start to be depleted in ~20 years at the current rate of extraction.

Australians may eventually have to evolve and jump off the miner's back onto the sheep's back again.

There's no sign that any politicians are planning what will happen to the economy when mineral resources are depleted.

Perhaps miners should already be under training as baristas to ensure their future.

https://www.ga.gov.au/digital-publication/aimr2020/australias-estimated-ore-rese...

Quote:

Table 1. Australia's Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources of selected commodities at operating mines in 2019.

Commodity Unit No. of Operating Mines1 Ore Reserves2 Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources3 Inferred Mineral Resources4 Mine Production5 Reserve Life (years) Resource Life 1 (years) Resource Life 2 (years)
Antimony kt Sb 1 17.7 36.8 9.1 2.036 9 23 27
Bauxite Mt 10 2,039 1,586 3,649 105.5 19 15 50
Black Coal Mt 96 11,670 30,5867 14,2277 5888 20 52 76
Copper Mt Cu 43 19.82 83.99 26.47 0.93 21 90 118
Diamond Mc 1 9.69 0 0 12.99 1 0 0
Gold t Au 150 2,966 6,646 2,669 326 9 20 29
Iron Ore Mt 36 11,800 30,340 40,133 919 13 33 77
Lead Mt Pb 19 9.15 23.12 4.74 0.509 18 45 54
Lithium kt Li 7 3,091 4,033 1,322 459 69 90 119
Manganese Ore Mt 3 33 47 5 7.510 4 6 7
Mineral Sands
Ilmenite Mt 12 16.7 50.8 10.2 1 17 51 62
Rutile Mt 10 2.4 5.2 0.8 0.2 13 28 32
Zircon Mt 10 4.5 11.7 2.0 0.5 8 22 25
Nickel Mt Ni 10 2.4 7.6 1.1 0.16 15 49 56
Rare Earths11 Mt 2 1.67 2.08 1.37 0.01812 88 109 182
Silver13 kt Ag 31 19.09 54.08 13.63 1.325 14 41 51
Tin kt Sn 1 179 348 38 7.614 24 46 51
Uranium kt U 3 266 1,483 718 6.613 40 224 333
Zinc Mt Zn 20 19.60 47.71 12.51 1.337 15 36 45

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freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48867 At my desk.	Re: Except food, bldg materials, Oz manufactures dying Reply #14 - Aug 7^th, 2021 at 2:07pm Quote: All of Australia's mineral resources are finite and iron will start to be depleted in ~20 years at the current rate of extraction. So another 20 years before it "starts" to be depleted? Is it time to panic yet?
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