Australia - you're standing in it
the desperation of labor's policies and actions are mindblowing
they really are setting the country up (and themselves) for a catastrophic failure...
irrepairable damage
we're well into scott morrison government territory now... where the sitting government gets away with all manner of outrageous actions, that may well tickle their ideological proclivities, interests groups, and inherent corruptions, but do nothing to make the place better...
but they get away with it... unscathed... because the opposition is in such a state of irrelevant shambles, they are largely silent, and scared, and thus too impotent to fulfill their role as an effective opposition...
the set up we are blindly rolling into is bloody scary!
and, though many will vehemently disagree, may well be just enough to get that shambles voted in...
'people don't vote government in, they vote governments out'
a wise man often said...
it really is a slow motion train wreck
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/08/australian-manufacturing-is-dyi...
"The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) national accounts showed that Australia’s manufacturing sector comprised a record low share of GDP.
In Q1 2025, manufacturing’s percentage of GDP decreased to 5.1%, down from 8.9% two decades ago and 15% in the mid-1970s.
Australia has the smallest manufacturing share in the OECD, making it one of the least self-sufficient industrialised economies.
There are several factors contributing to Australia’s structural loss in manufacturing.
Tariff cuts in the 1980s and 1990s reduced Australian manufacturing’s competitiveness versus imports, shrinking the sector.
During the 2000s commodity boom, the Australian dollar rose in relation to other currencies, making the local manufacturing sector even less competitive versus imported goods and export markets.
Finally and most importantly, rising energy prices—both electricity and gas—have driven up operating costs, making Australian manufacturing less competitive.
Natural gas input costs used in manufacturing have increased by 186% since 2000, whereas electricity costs used in manufacturing have risen by 181%.
The rise in natural gas costs has been especially brutal since 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Not surprisingly, then, ASIC insolvency data showed that over 1400 manufacturers nationwide have become insolvent since 2022-23.
Among these, Incitec Pivot, a large fertiliser company, closed its Australian operations due to rising energy costs.
Qenos, Australia’s last major plastics facility, closed in 2024 due to high energy prices, leaving the country fully reliant on polymers supplied from China.
Oceania Glass, Australia’s sole architectural glass firm, closed in February 2025 after 169 years of operation due to soaring energy prices and Chinese dumping.
Orica, the world’s largest manufacturer of mining explosives, chemicals, and agricultural fertilisers, and BlueScope Steel have threatened to shrink their Australian operations and relocate to the United States in response to rising energy costs.
The reality is that without affordable and reliable energy, Australia’s manufacturing sector will continue to contract and the nation will deindustrialise.
Sadly, it is inevitable that energy will become more expensive in Australia.
East Coast Australia’s refusal to implement a domestic gas reservation program is a major contributor to rising energy prices.
In 2015, the East Coast began exporting natural gas from Gladstone. Since then, the East Coast has doubled its gas production, yet it has delivered 25% less gas to the domestic market.
As a result, an artificial shortage of gas has emerged, tripling the East Coast gas price to roughly $12 per gigajoule
East Coast Australia now has the highest gas prices of any exporting jurisdiction in the world. These high gas costs have contributed to higher power prices, as gas is a primary marginal price setter in the wholesale market.
The situation will only worsen if the East Coast begins importing gas into New South Wales, Victoria, and potentially South Australia to alleviate artificial domestic shortages.
Once liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports commence, East Coast gas prices will skyrocket to import-parity levels of roughly $20 per gigajoule, driving up electricity prices..."
What do you guys reckon? Is it important to make anything, or is it better to have it delivered to you? - so long as those making and delivering can guarantee to get it to you all the time, on time. It's been so weird watching this country go from being resilient with a cheap cost of living/energy to a cargo cult in my lifetime.
sally mcmanus...
But ACTU secretary Sally McManus told ABC's Insiders it was time to "bite the bullet".
"Otherwise, we're just saying 'too bad young people, you're not going to be able to ever own a home'," she said.
"Since 2019, the problem has just got worse. It's going to continue to get worse unless the government is brave enough to do something about it."
that's about as polite as breaking ranks can possibly be
I really wish she mentioned the 'I' word
but it's a start...
I heard yesterday 1% of investors own 25% of investment properties
that's some warped and twisted mathematics that's ripe for correction...
sally showing some balls, time for estro albo to follow suit
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/sally-mcmanus-negative-gearing-ca...
velocityjohnno wrote:flollo wrote:Haha...
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-lifts-foreign-stude...
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/australian-job-ads-fall-1...
Going downhill quickly...
Yeah wow, at some point it's all gotta break. It's very interesting seeing how far the crush can be pushed before this happens. Young Aussies voted for this, and it seems absolutely bizarre that they did so, as the competition for entry level through mid level jobs will hurt them most. As well as housing rental and 1st homebuyer demand. Oh well, they asked for it so better deliver more of it. And GDP will keep ticking along above recession levels and shareholders will keep getting their divvies.
Add AI into the mix and you’ll see tectonic changes in how we live and operate. I reckon a half of uni degrees are completely useless. Look at the recent layoffs in the IT industry in India. Jobs you previously offshored won’t have to be offshored anymore. Entry level jobs locally can easily be done with AI. I can see massive impacts in my workplace. You can also run much flatter organisations with one manager having 15-20 people reporting into him/her.
flollo wrote:velocityjohnno wrote:flollo wrote:Haha...
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-lifts-foreign-stude...
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/australian-job-ads-fall-1...
Going downhill quickly...
Yeah wow, at some point it's all gotta break. It's very interesting seeing how far the crush can be pushed before this happens. Young Aussies voted for this, and it seems absolutely bizarre that they did so, as the competition for entry level through mid level jobs will hurt them most. As well as housing rental and 1st homebuyer demand. Oh well, they asked for it so better deliver more of it. And GDP will keep ticking along above recession levels and shareholders will keep getting their divvies.
Add AI into the mix and you’ll see tectonic changes in how we live and operate. I reckon a half of uni degrees are completely useless. Look at the recent layoffs in the IT industry in India. Jobs you previously offshored won’t have to be offshored anymore. Entry level jobs locally can easily be done with AI. I can see massive impacts in my workplace. You can also run much flatter organisations with one manager having 15-20 people reporting into him/her.
We are headed for either a dystopian future or a future of peace egalitarianism and leisure.
Looks like we are more headed towards the former...
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/08/australian-manufacturing-is-dyi...VJ, the management of Australia’s gas resources has been freaking unbelievable! Some of the agreements made should have criminal investigations.
And to top it off, the other day it was announced that the Feds and WA will be paying half of the rehab costs for the Barrow Island oil field to Chevron! wtf.
In monetary terms it’s estimated that rehab cost will be roughly half of all royalties collected…..
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-23/taxpayers-to-foot-bill-for-chevro...
Never got out to Barrow, but I heard there's some awesome waves (and huge Tiger sharks)! Any rehab is good - how it's funded/funding split is probably the facepalm bit, but given the links above with the gas, with the policy, nothing unexpected. Did the Alcoa rehab as a school fieldtrip in the Perth Hills when younger.
Dystopia seems to be here now andy-mac, it's like we're marching fast in a direction no-one really wants to, if you ask them privately. Like one of those bad dreams where you can't change course although you can see the danger ahead.
Yeah Flollo my son has dropped the uni for now, is doing practical courses in the field through TAFE, enjoys it much better, hands on, specialist skills that people need and aren't replaceable by AI for a considerable time. His study has come in useful for the anatomy stuff and the theoretical workload which was surprisingly heavy; employment is an almost certainty - he can do the rest of the degree once already in the field with experience, thus guaranteeing progression. The other in the trades is doing really well and it was a good choice that suited his personality. Might soon get to use my degree in it's field for the first time, 20+ years after attaining it, but it'll be my venture and it'll have to be, it doesn't exist at present in Australia lol. Haven't used AI deliberately yet, but I'm sure it can help and streamline design & production process, 1 man industry. Have you seen the production robots - they're getting down to about 8K and can do repeatable tasks...
you brainboxes out there like @vj, and @tbb, I'd appreciate your brief opinion on this: how is it that in the Adelaide gulf, ExxonMobil mothballed Port Stanvac oil refinery 20 years ago so they didn't have to clean the site up, but now 3,600 houses will soon be built there..? Any mid-coasters with opinions on it? ridiculously underutilised spot, but I thought that was cos it was manky from Mobil activity since the 60s?
The "I can't believe it's not politics" thread.