Adventure Ausrama Blog

There is clearly something wrong with the Australian economy. We seem to in the same position of Indonesia several decades ago when it had oil and the high price was pushing up the value of the currency. A high currency makes it difficult for those producing "non-boom" products to export. That is why the US is printing more dollars to weaken the currency, improve the economy and create more jobs. Nothing much is happening for it though because the US dollar is the major international currency as gold used to be. Just why Australian shopkeepers are crying fowl is more difficult to understand. A strong currency means imports are cheaper. Australians are very import dependent in their spending habits and buying cheap imports is what they like to do. They buy such imports over more expensive Australian made products, but this shouldn't hurt the bottom line of retailers. They claim Australians are spending less. Though figures show this to be the case, spendin...

Australian retailers are in a corner with people turning to the Internet to make purchases. With rents near zero for Internet sellers and high rents for retail shops the odds are stacked against local stores. Travel agents are the ones hit the hardest. It is so easy to buy an airline ticket online. Next are bookshops. They cannot compete with Amazon, though some Australian bookshops are selling online as well. Pharmacists are up against large cut-price online sellers in the US. However, chemists can still rely on the highly subsidized cash cow called the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Some Australian businesses are becoming paranoid. A woman was accused by a bookshop proprietor of making a list of books to buy on the Internet. A sports retailer asks for a deposit before customers try things on. Things are changing so fast. Major stores in the US are allowing goods purchased online to be returned at city outlets. Australian businesses must make the move to the Internet now, o...

Consumers will have to learn to do without. If we want our children to enjoy seafood we will have to eat less of it now. That means paying a higher price. A guide has been put out by the Australian Conservation Society to make people aware of what species are in danger. This Christmas consumers have bought lobster, bugs and mackerel. It is debatable as to whether all of these are actually threatened. Not everyone is in favor of informing the general public about the need for change in the seafood industry. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association, in particular retailers the body represents, are angry because they fear a fall in income. They are saying the industry is already struggling. Yes, it is struggling because seafood is becoming more difficult to supply. It is really a case of " someone has to pay and it won't be us ". They say fishing boats have been bought and licensing fees have been paid. The reality is, however, that if fishing is not cut back there will n...