Jobst Schmalenbach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Dick Smith is right. Read whats on his jam, peanut butter etc.
<rant>
I can understand when people say "buy Australian made". By buying
Australian made we create jobs in Australia. But why "buy Australian
owned"?
I prefer to support local small business, but if it comes to
supporting either Dick Smith (NOT a small businessman), or a foreigner
who manufactures goods here, why should I distinguish between them?
Both need to pay Australian taxes. Both employ Australians. Both are
likely to invest their profits where returns are greatest (i.e. not
necessarily here in Oz)
There is a certain amount of hypocrisy when Australian big business
asks us to "buy Australian owned". When Australian big business
invests oveseas instead of investing their profits locally, that's
just "our" businesses "expanding in a global marketplace", isn't it?
It's never business "taking jobs away from Australia", is it? On the
other hand, they claim that foreign businesses investing in Australia
are indicative of the "sellout of Australia to foreigners", right?
Presumably the jobs these provide aren't real jobs, unlike those jobs
created by good Australian corporations.
Even corporate ownership has become a tricky affair. Australians can
own US shares, and vice-versa.
In any case, even the "buy Australian made" slogan has its
problems. In this age of globalisation, it becomes a problem to state
clearly where anything is "made"... raw materials from country A,
transport by country B, preprocessing by country C, manufacturing by
D, assembly by E, packaging by F, etc, etc. A label won't tell you
any of this.
Let's face it, the nation state is dead. Flag waving never made much
sense, anyway.
</rant>
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