Holden needs your cash to keep going

[stevz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

My how Holden's tune has changed in six months from a company commiting to stay
as a local producer for another ten years to now saying that it's all up in the air.

I'm sorry but you can't have it both ways and taking cash only to reneg later will put Holden in the firing line.

Maybe that's part of the reason why Ford is opting out, is government funding evaporating?

The way I see it, they are protesting against the flawed policies and unlevel playing fields for local manufacturers and are trying to get some much needed changes brought about. What do you want them to do? Sit on their hands like Ford did?

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

The Great Wall Dealership in Essendon Airport closed down

That's great (pun intended). Now hopefully they close the rest of their dealerships and take their cheap and nasty pieces of crap and bugger off out of this country.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Throwing cash at them won't make one iota of difference if they keep our markets so open that we are absolutely flooded with cheap imports.

Its policy changes to protect our industries that will keep them alive, not cash handouts.

And that there is the cut and thrust. Everyone loves to get angry with RARR MY TAX DOLERS HOW DARE U but the reality is without policy to support our own industries, they will never get ahead. Same with these stupid free trade agreements that are lop sided.

Cutting tariffs to 0% and 5% was the final nail in the coffin. The cars that are being imported into Australia are coming from countries whose auto industries are subsidised/protected/whatever you want to call it, well over and above what Australia does for it's own. Contrary to the original intent of the Button Plan to create a level playing field, the playing field is horribly lop sided in favour of offshore manufacturers who get three free kicks: 1) is the strength of our dollar (up until recently) 2) they come from heavily protected markets and 3) low or no tariff barriers in the way.

[GT2]

We as enthusiasts want an auto industry. The reality is that most Australians don't want what our car makers make (and neither does the rest of the world for that matter) and we just aren't competitive enough anyway.
Government subsidies should be directed towards industries where other nations can't compete. Industries such as farming and food production is where money should be directed.
As the world population continues to grow, so will demand. This will bring in export revenue and and the competition from other nations i think is limited, particularly with the quality who h we can offer.
These are the industries that i would prefer to see supported.

[stang65]

Originally Posted by GT2

We as enthusiasts want an auto industry. The reality is that most Australians don't want what our car makers make (and neither does the rest of the world for that matter) and we just aren't competitive enough anyway.
Government subsidies should be directed towards industries where other nations can't compete. Industries such as farming and food production is where money should be directed.
As the world population continues to grow, so will demand. This will bring in export revenue and and the competition from other nations i think is limited, particularly with the quality who h we can offer.
These are the industries that i would prefer to see supported.

Yeah to the farmers who would rather bury what they cant sell thand reduce their prices or give it to charity or the meat trade where the better quality stuff is sold overseas at a cheaper price and the less quality stuff is sold here a dearer price.

[mik]

Originally Posted by GT2

We as enthusiasts want an auto industry. The reality is that most Australians don't want what our car makers make (and neither does the rest of the world for that matter) and we just aren't competitive enough anyway.
Government subsidies should be directed towards industries where other nations can't compete. Industries such as farming and food production is where money should be directed.
As the world population continues to grow, so will demand. This will bring in export revenue and and the competition from other nations i think is limited, particularly with the quality which we can offer.
These are the industries that i would prefer to see supported.

perhaps the reason we are not competitive enough is we can't afford to be, obviously some companies either have the right sort of business that can just kick on, or they are just lucky.
A lot of companies , particularly those that are labor and energy intensive are feeling the pinch hard, its not just carmakers, again on the news tonight the news of target in geelong giving 250 workers their marching orders, one of the women mentioned how tough it will be with mortgage, etc, and her bloke works at one of the alloy metal smelters that is also on borrowed time, no amount of clever politicians telling them they need to be clever will stop rising fixed costs as well as flooding cheap imports killing the business.
on the other hand for some life is pretty easy if you can vote yourself an 8 percent pay rise every so often with the biggest risk from your job being choking on a chicken wing at a 2 hour lunch break, fair dinkum the scales of fairness need a good calibration..

[pottery beige]

always taken Devereux as a straight up guy, unlike the Ford muppet...

pure speculation if we had a Devereux we would have a HO....

as Boss and others have said, tariffs and our open markets need looking at...

that will take some balls with who evers running the show.. we can only hope they put in the yards....

[Bossxr8]

Its all too much effort for the pollies, why do that when you can spend the majority of your time trying to keep yourself in office, who cares about actually making this country better.

Its all about them.

[Auslandau]

By what most seem to be saying, it is better to have a good and proper policy to promote healthy manufacturing in this country which would be a better scenario than a company just having their hand out asking for benefits? This I agree with totally.

I own a business, I would be laughed at if I asked for a cash handout and wouldn't even bother of course asking, but I will plead for some basic structure, together with some protection for Australian produced products which is absolutely not existent. I only help to support 10 families and also our suppliers but what you need to go through to survive these days does border on criminal. It is that bad.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

My how Holden's tune has changed in six months from a company commiting to stay
as a local producer for another ten years to now saying that it's all up in the air.

I'm sorry but you can't have it both ways and taking cash only to reneg later will put Holden in the firing line.

Maybe that's part of the reason why Ford is opting out, is government funding evaporating?

renege on what?
holden hasn't got any of that money for jobs dribble.
their still at 10 paces pistol drawn.

[mr smith]

The time has come to get of our asses and get onto local members (or even have a go) to get Australia back to a position where you can have a chance of a running good business on a level playing field.
I have no doubt current policy is driven by the elite few who will be setting the agenda and will make massive profits out of the change in our economy. I believe the future will be made up of two classes of citizens and unlike our past it will be virtually impossible to climb up the ladder. Manufacturing, especially the big internationals offer a chance for all to have a decent standard of living. My greatest fear is this will soon be gone.

[joolz]

Its quite simple the "free trade agreements" have only killed off our local manufacturing. Its not free trade where the overseas wages are a tenth of ours and the price of the majority of imports reflect that with a ****y up to 5% import tarrif. The main stream consumer buys with their wallet and want gadgets that cost very little. Ford was the last manufacturer that the MAJORITY of components made locally and it was to be the death of them. With Ford closing its the building of a Tsunami on all manufacturing in Australia.