[LINK] Budget
Richard Chirgwin
rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au
Fri May 15 09:37:18 AEST 2009
stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> Although sympathetic to TomK's call for a return to local manufacturing,
> I think we ought best leave much of that to better-positioned countries.
>
> Instead i think research is what we are good at and should be our focus.
In general, I agree, but there are exceptions.
The first is that at a national scale, people can't all be researchers, or even
support research. At a personal level, I'm elitist and proud of it, but
nationally, we're in a democracy and people should be able to get jobs they're
fitted for.
You need a functioning - and growing - middle class to maintain an economy.
There aren't enough customers in the top 2% to sustain an economy, and if you
follow the logic of ditching manufacturing, the long-term result is damage to
the economy as a whole; unless there is a viable, mass-employing alternative.
And in the long term, sending manufacturing to "better positioned" countries
only works if you ignore the environmental costs of wasteful transport. A
simplified example:
- Ore to China;
- Steel to car manufacturer;
- Car back to Australia.
The business model works because both Australia and China either overlook or
subsidise the pollution associated with transport.
RC
>
> And, it would appear that Kevin&Co agree ..
>
> --
> Science and unis are winners in the budget
>
> Wednesday, 13 May 2009 Anna Salleh ABC
> http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/05/13/2569525.htm?
> site=science&topic=latest
>
>
> Science, innovation and education have been given a historic boost by the
> Australian government, say commentators ..
>
> The 2009 Federal Budget unveiled last night has been welcomed by the
> scientific community.
>
> "This is an historic budget for science, education and innovation, with
> a record spend .. the highest annual increase since records began," says
> Professor Ken Baldwin, President of the Federation of Australian Science
> and Technological Societies.
>
> Professor Kurt Lambeck of the Australian Academy of Science also welcomes
> the budget.
>
> "I think what the budget statement provides is a long term framework for
> Australian research and development," he says.
>
> "I think that's important. It's something we haven't had for a long time."
>
> "I think we'll see real returns coming out of this in the years ahead,"
> says Lambeck ..
>
> --
>
> Cheers,
> Stephen
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