Adventure Ausrama Blog

Since the Liberal-National Coalition has been in government it has followed the same policy as Germany and France. That is: keep wages low and restrict welfare. But of course, This reduces spending and puts a brake on the economy. Wealthy businesses benefit from lower wage costs. Two thirds of the population suffer while the top third get rich. The economy of Australia has been stagnant for the last five years compared to other countries. For three consecutive quarters GDP per capita has fallen. Construction is in decline. As the wealthy have become richer they have hoarded their money. They have spent the same each year for the last seven years. Australians generally have become poorer while company have made great profits. Furthermore, the government has brought in laws that stops unionists going on strike. There are massive fines for the unions if they do. Household disposable income has fallen by 0.8 per cent over the last twelve months. Australian disposable income ha...

The world is changing and it is in a destructive way. Long term employment is fading from sight.  Technology is destroying existing industries. The situation has never been so bad. Even now, 268,000 Australians have been retrenched. It is forecast that 40 percent of jobs will disappear over the next 15 years. companies are improving efficiency and productivity by cutting working hours. Many countries have moved to the soul destroying employment by the hour. As more work is done be "machines" labor demand declines. Global competition is causing this. Perhaps this is why tariffs are back. When the economic structure changes it impacts on political structures. There is a loop here. If wages fall, demand declines as well.  A new business has opened in Australia. If you complete their ten week course, you are guaranteed a job. No work and you get your money back. This is aimed at tech people. Yes, even a growing sector is casting off workers. Academy Xi could be on ...

The Coalition Government's intention to bring in a welfare card tied to a specific bank account for welfare recipients is immoral and unworkable. Stopping those on unemployment and disability support from buying alcohol is absolute hypocrisy. Politicians drink the best spirits, wine and beer that money can buy. Incidentally, much of it is paid for by the taxpayer. They do not have the right to prevent others from consuming what they want. . The Coalition Government's intention to bring in a welfare card tied to a specific bank account for welfare recipients is immoral and unworkable. Stopping those on unemployment and disability support from buying alcohol is absolute hypocrisy. Politicians drink the best spirits, wine and beer that money can buy. Incidentally, much of it is paid for by the taxpayer. They do not have the right to prevent others from consuming what they want. getting rid of cash in a submission to government it is cheaper and easier to administer the healthy ...

Get ready for the dole queue as technology puts more people out of work. Even traditional occupations such as law is to be taken over by computers doing routine work. Nearly half of the workforce is predicted to lose their jobs. This is frightening and will be devastating to the economy and society. It seems that efficient technology will take over menial tasks. While it is conceivable that routine work will be done by computers, it is questionable whether laboring tasks will. Even laboring takes a conscious mind to wield the shovel. We do not yet have human-sized robots smart enough to do this. Automated combine harvesters are one thing, but robotised fence repairers - I think not! Australia could make the mistake of hanging on to old ways of making money. Primary products have been the major source for earning foreign exchange for a couple of centuries. Primary products will always be needed. Australia must change, however, to accept new ways of doing things in a ...

The age of entitlement is over for Australia - unless of course you vote for the Coalition. This is the the message of the A$324 million drought package comes across to Australians living in cities. The motor industry got not support, neither did SPC. Eighty per cent of Queensland is suffering drought. It is a serious crisis. However, a government must be seen to be consistent. Taking the hammer to trade unions is to be expected from a conservative government. The Liberal-National Government is not in the center politically in Australia. It is definitely conservative: plainly an anachronism that we have to live with. The National Party would bring back tariffs if they had the power, but they will remain Liberal Party lap dogs forever. Of course, other countries put up barriers against agricultural imports, so Australia should do the same. However, how can a government say one thing and act in a contrary manner. It cannot be taken seriously. A turn here, a flip there ...

According to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey we have never been able to buy so much with our income. Over the last decade income inequality has hardly changed, Wages have risen faster than inflation. Of course, we know that announced inflation is lower than real price rises. Although Australia's debt is low compared to other developed countries, less than half of Australians believe this. Despite the good times, many are feeling down and depressed feeling that the country is not doing well economically. This is probably due to the negative political arena at the moment with any bad news being blown out of proportion, with political blame and counter denials being kept uppermost in people's minds. We should be happy but the minority, politicians, are pulling us down. Things are certainly changing now with Chinese demand for primary products falling as well as prices producers receive. The new government, in September, will have to deal with ...

The overseas economic crisis is changing the perception of wage rates in Australia. Over recent months the Aussie dollar has fallen in value.  It helps exporters. The retail sector has also been calling for the dollar to be intentionally weakened. This is odd considering Australian consumers are heavily "addicted' to imports, so prices will probably rise in the shops. There will be an election in September. Any color of government will have to cut back on spending. This will mean higher unemployment. Therefore, despite inflation steadily rising there will be downward pressure on wages. There is already a glut of people seeking employment in the vegetable and fruit picking industry. When you go shopping a distinct feel of recession is in the air. With many buying online, the shops are almost devoid of shoppers. The lowest income earners have just been given a 2.6 per cent pay rise. This was done to redistribute income. Higher unemployment will prevent future artifi...

Many people in developed countries rely on welfare to live their lives. The welfare state has been accepted as the only way for government to go - until now. Britain where the welfare state began is making major cutbacks in government payments. Even in the US, where government support is perceived as low by non-US citizens, middle class welfare is rife. The term middle class is a widely misused term. Everyone knows it means the rich. It seems everyone has the their hands in the government feed trough. In Australia the baby bonus was introduced by a right wing Howard government. It is ironic that it has been virtually abolished by a left wing government. It was available to all, rich and poor. No means testing was ever done. The problem is political parties keep giving in order to be elected. This happens until a major deficit occurs and cutbacks are forced onto prevailing government. If redistribution of income was not done the rich would get richer and the poor would be u...

Even though Australia is booming with the economic downturn hurting elsewhere, the unemployed are being targeted by the government. Several years ago pensioners were given a significant rise in payments. The unemployment rate remained the same. The "dole" is indexed to inflation, but it remains very low. Youth Allowance is paid to young people to the age of 20, full-time student under 24, and also apprentices to this age. Those living at home receive A$110.15 a week (2010). Independent recipients get A$167.35. Living away from home, sharing the rent of a house could easily cost more than A$100.00 a week. Attending university would be just as expensive, so the burden falls on parents. Newstart which is the actual "dole" paid to eligible unemployed workers over 18 years is A$228.00 a week. There are severe restrictions on getting the full amount. Recipients must sign an Unemployment Pathway Plan (Activity Agreement) where they are monitored and told to do cer...

If you are a business the Greenies can close you down. It's no good protesting about it. Just accept it, sack your staff, and close. That's the message that comes across in the case of a shark fishery in South Australia. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has introduced draconian new rules in its protected zones. It is spelled out that when a "trigger point" is reached everything must stop. The authority took the advice of environmentalists and reduced the number of deaths of protected species from 15 down to one as the trigger point. Because a sea lion was killed the shark fishery must close and apply to reopen in May of 2013. An environmental spokesperson said, "We're pleased that there's now a process in place so that when there are animals killed that steps can be taken in the management of the fishery to make sure that the deaths are limited." This is shortsighted. Businesses cannot operate in this way. When May 2013 co...