wrote in message
oups.com...
Tell me Trevor, why does Australia and New Zealand manufacture so
little stuff for export?

**There's a bunch of reasons, but the big one is historical. Back in the
1960s, Australia was the wealthiest nation on Earth (per capita). Our
considerable natural resources were dug up, grown and exported. We were (as
we used to say) "Riding on the sheep's back". We missed an excellent
opportunity to develop our own manufacturing industry in the 1950s and
1960s, due to this attitude. Australia, for instance, manufactured more
automobiles than Japan, during the early 1950s. For many years our
manufacturing industries have been protected by massive tarifs and taxes,
thus causing Aussie manufacturers to become complacent and lazy. Although
that time has finished, we are unlikely ever to catch up. Nowadays, things
are different. Australia's 'movers and shakers' are not interested in the
future. They're either interested in the here and now, the next election, or
the next profit announcement. Few take the long term outlook required to
build up decent manufacturing. There are a few exceptions, however. The very
excellent Pontiac GTO is one.
http://www.pontiac.com/gto/index.jsp...&pagename=home is an all
Aussie auto. Although the manufacturer is a GM subsidiary, they are
profitable and build autos uinque to this country. They, for instance, the
only GM subsiary which designs, engineers and builds it's own RWD,
independent suspension, large autos (at least that is what I'm told).

Now we have a mineral boom again and the cycle may well continue again. The
Aussie Dollar is rising (against the US) which will kill our manufactured
exports.

You'd think they could build some really cool
stuff but I just don't see any of it.

**Australia does build some cool stuff, but you don't see a lot of it.
Building stuff in Australia is often more difficult and more expensive than
in the US.

A recent Stereophile article
lauds a superexpensive piano, but AFAIK goes on to say none are in
North America now. And their guitars are atrocious.

**I understand that some Aussie guitars are pretty good, but that is not my
field of expertise.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au