Vision for the Future – Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing industry

The imperialist policies that masquerade under the name of globalisation have gutted Australia 's manufacturing industry. Once, Australia used to design and build its own products: cars, trains and buses, whitegoods, domestic appliances, textiles, footwear, clothing, crockery and kitchenware, building and plumbing supplies, steel products, precision instruments, agricultural and military equipment, warships, light aircraft, etc.

Much of this is now imported, leaving Australian manufacturers only assembly and maintenance tasks, or the unsophisticated work at the bottom end of the domestic market. Many small manufacturing businesses are totally dependent on whatever contracts they can get from the bigger, often foreign, monopolies that dominate their section of the industry. There is also the dependence of bank loans and insurance deals tied up with foreign capital.

Even under capitalism, smaller economies than Australia are able to manufacture most of their own products, and even establish profitable export markets, eg, Nokia phones, Volvo cars, etc.

Our problem is that the manufacturing industry, like other aspects of Australian life, is being restructured to meet the global market requirements of foreign imperialism, mainly US, European and Japanese.

All problems can be solved

In a democratic peoples' republic, the skills and expertise of Australian workers would be nurtured, the renowned inventiveness of Australian designers and manufacturers would be encouraged. There is no logical reason that Australia cannot manufacture many of the items required by people to live comfortably in a modern society.

Instead of profits flowing overseas as they now do, a portion would be put to good use in training and multi-skilling young workers to build the things society will need in the future, such as extensive public transport systems, solar power stations, wind farms, reversing environmental damage to rivers and other eco-systems, providing decent housing and modern schools, hospitals and healthcare facilities.

For a start, heavy industry would be nationalised to ensure that strategic products such as steel, chemicals, rubber, and cement etc. were under the control of the people. However, medium and small manufacturing would continue under private or cooperative ownership.

All forms of ownership would be subject to the democratic authority of workers in the workplace, as well as consumers and customers. In this way all stake-holders would have a say in the day to day running and be able to contribute to the overall benefit of society.

Naturally, in the era of global warming, all industrial processes would have to meet strict safety and environmental standards, with an emphasis on conserving and recycling as much as possible. And this is only the start.

When the needs of the people are placed in the forefront rather than multinational profits, all things become possible, all problems can be solved.

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