I received the letter below today from Ian MacFarlane. My response is below his letter. Dear Xxxxxxxxx, Strengthening Australia’s competitiveness is the key to our future prosperity. Improved competitiveness means more exports, more jobs and higher living standards for Australians. Today the Abbott Government released the Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda. This is a central part of our Economic Action Strategy to build a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure Australia. Its guiding principle is to focus on Australia’s strengths and not prop up poor performers. Our Competitiveness Agenda details how we will: 1/. Lift apprenticeship completion rates and give young Australians the best opportunity to get a job; 2/. Encourage employee share ownership; 3/. Promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in schools; 4/. Improve the investor visa programme and reform the 457 visa programme; and 5/. Encourage better use of Australia’s world class researchers through the establishment of Industry Growth Centres. The Government is working to strengthen the economy. We’ve already scrapped the carbon and mining taxes; cut over 10,000 pages of unnecessary legislation and regulations; commenced the largest infrastructure construction programme in Australian history and signed free trade agreements with Japan and Korea. You can download our Competitiveness Agenda and read how we can ensure our future prosperity. Regards, Ian Macfarlane, MP, Minister for Industry. ******************************** Dear Ian, For many years now, Australian manufacturing, businesses, and employment have been steadily trashed by our own governments, thanks to a bi-partisan economic suicide pact entered into by both sides of politics over thirty years ago. It involved the dismantling of our tariff protections and the advocacy of free trade, which is as big a myth as man-made global warming. Added to this economic vandalism was the abject cowardice of both sides of politics to address the criminal behaviour of unions, until the Howard government took on and beat the Waterside Workers Federation. Unfortunately, almost all of Peter Reiths terrific work was undone by Gillard, so youre virtually back to square one. So you have several choices, really. 1/. You can keep going with the Kamikaze policy of no tariffs and see us continue to go backwards. 2/. You could restore tariff protections in areas where we need a degree of protection to enable Australian manufacturing, businesses, and employment recover somewhat. 3/. You could also drastically re-vamp the labour market so that people who want to work are allowed to work WITHOUT UNION INTERFERENCE! The ball is firmly in your court, Ian. Regards, CJO (Name and address supplied). cc: A.I.P.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 07:22:20 +0000