Haven't read all of this thread but if it's about the car industry, then John Howard killed it. With the Australia-Thailand free trade agreement of 2005. Google how many popular tradie's cars are built in Thailand, in particular, and the change over 5 years.
After we signed the deal,Thailand changed the registration rules on engine sizes, effectively banning all Australian car imports. Yet we didn't do anything, just bought all their cars, and allowed them to pick our pockets. To the Thai people, our suicidal trade policies suggest we are the stupidest people on the planet. Some of our tourists (not all) tend to confirm that preconception.
