The argument for having a local car manufacturing industry dated back to post WW2 when it was deemed by Governments in the 1950s that local manufacturing was necessary to avert WW2 problems in getting spare parts and vehicles from overseas. Of course Trade Unions went with this for self-interest; not national interest.
Its now ironic that we dont have local manufacturing in Aus now given that we have declared China as our chief national security threat and, potentially our major source of behicles up to 3500 kg GVM and of course our current major source of parts .
The questions are: (a) were we idiotic in the 1950s? (b) or are we idiotic now?
