Are our FTAs fit for purpose?

Originally posted by moorookamick: ↑

Mate, to understand the differences between Aussie Shires with shrinking ecomomic prospects and those of China with booming economic prospects you will have to read:
"The Making of a Superpower" by Yi Wen from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis wherein in summary he says:

The success of the Deng industrial revolution in China over the past 30 years is mostly due to Local Government leadership in
organising and provisioning Town/Villiage enterprises to evolve from agrarian subsistance to globally competitive businesses.
This replaces the slow mercantilist evolution in Western Europe and early USA industrial development.

In essence China compacted 300 years of Western Industrial development into 30 years.

This Chinese local Government role is the opposite of what we have ; in China it is the engine of rural and regional development while
here it is a handbrake!

We have already rejected China's OBI which part of is introducing this Chinese model to struggling agrarian communities who do not have
the wherewithal to develop and advance. Whether right or wrong, our Government has put ideology before economic development IMO.
It will be interesting to see how Indonesia develops over the next decade given that it now part of China's OBI program.
As they say in science, everything is data dependant!

Can we do the same?. IMO we can provided we have the right national, state and local government leadership.
Our current politicians are unlikely to go that route because they owe their current political power and private wealth
to the status quo and bugger Australia's economic prospects!

Expand

The politicians in power and the beneficiaries of our FTAs understand the negative impact of globalisation aided and abetted by our FTAs
is having on Rural & regional Australia not to mention the working class generally but as the Americans say "If its not broke (for you) why fix it?

That is evidnced by voters in these regions voting for Pauline Hanson and other self styled Right Wing Politicians who are -like Trump-
pointing an accusative finger at those abroad- rather than devise an Aussie Economic Plan underpinned with industrialisation to remedy
our economic problems. The solution is economic, not ideological, IMO and only becomes political when the role of Commonwealth, State or Local Government has to change to meet the prevailing economic challenges.

All IMO only and Far Right Wing ideologue readers should consult Donald Trump or Pauline Hanson should any of this content distress them !