One Nation (NSW Division) Media Release - 18/1/2007
BLUNDSTONE ARE ONLY ANOTHER VICTIM OF FREE TRADE
Blundstone Footwear, who have announced they must close their Tasmanian factory and move it to Asia, are only another victim of free trade.
What hypocrites the Government are in saying Blundstone should have alerted them earlier about their decision. If they had, what would the Government have done?
Liberal, Labor and National have done the damage already by abolishing tariffs and signing up to the disastrous policy of free trade, a policy that the whole world talks of, but we are the only ones stupid enough to actually follow.
The fact is beyond a certain point, with low or zero tariffs you simply can't compete with cheap labour.
Notice that even the much-vaunted "Workplace" laws designed to make us more "flexible" and "competitive" haven't saved Blundstone.
The workers should not blame the company but the policies of the major parties which are designed to wipe Australian manufacturing off the map and make Australia nothing but the quarry of the world where foreign companies dig our wealth out of the ground, pay us a pittance, ship it overseas so we can buy it back turned in to shoddy products we used to make better here.
The rot of course started when the Whitlam Government slashed tariffs 25 per cent across the board and wiped out most of the Australian appliance manufacturing industry, but we won't mention that.
Then when cheap Chinese cars come on the market with the soon-to-come free trade policy you'll also be saying goodbye to the the Australian automotive manufacturing industry, which only exists now on a tax fiddle.
One Nation says the only way to save companies like Blundstone Footwear is to put the boot into the major parties.
Statement issued January 18th, 2007 on behalf of One Nation (NSW Division) by Bob Vinnicombe Publicity Officer
For more information contact Bob Vinnicombe 0407949963 / (02) 96454910