you know things have got out of hand when a modern 'industrial'...

you know things have got out of hand when a modern 'industrial' country like australia cannot be self sufficient in something as bulk-processed as date roll.

i fully agree with the economics of comparative advantage, so manufactures that require alot of labour should migrate to countries with low labour costs and plentiful labour supply, so that eg australia can stick to what it does best (grazing animals and digging up dirt) that the populous countries of asia will buy off us.

we export used cardboard to china, but as energy prices resume their upward march we should see less "date miles" (like food miles but for the other end of our bods). making toilet paper can be done in each capital city, it is not labour intensive nor high tech.

i like how the govt inquiry into dumping (i'm sure they did not mean a pun) showed our lovely groceries duopoly shining through again to do over local producers and consumers.

disclosure- i hold a position and intend on long term buying.