I appreciate what you are saying but we can do both, IMO.....walk & chew gum!
Hi tech is fine for the intellectual elite and by all means that national resource should be developed for the benefit of all Aussies, not an elite few.
IMO, our problem not alone economically over time will be a social/class one where well paid manufacturing jobs have evaporated forcing tradie style workers into lower/subsistance jobs brinking on the minimum wage.
The rift between the middle class and those "downgraded" workers is already becomming evident of which the Trump barrackers on these threads are a very fine tip of the iceberg, IMO.
In the past countries who have prospered have done so via industrialisation," not digging it up and shipping it out" Were told that our Billions being gifted to Multinational Auto manufacturers was to develop engineering kills, develop self sufficiency in spare parts and services so that in the event of another War that we would not be faced by the cut off of essential transport vehicles and spare parts like what happened 1939-1950.
Ironically , as a serious US-China conflict developed, we lost our Auto manufacturing and we are now nearly 100% dependant on China for our cheap "will fit" parts.
We now import a million vehicles a year with the prospect of importing 100% of our vehicle needs once Volvo , KW & Iveco close down local truck assembly.
There are over 80 million motor vehicles manufactured annually and, IMO, we simply have to get a slice of that action whether that be component manufacturing or low volume/high value vehicle manufacturing.
China values motor vehicle manufacturing because it features high in its "Made in China 2025" manuacturing plan. Keep in mind that virtually all of our "Green Iniatives" involves more imports, not less, and within 2 years China will \ have adjusted our $20 billion trade surplus into a $20 billion trade deficit and we need to act now, not later, IMO.
