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So, so true! The so-called 'free-trade' ethos that governments, media etc love will cause more problems here in Australia, as it did in the US, Europe etc. How does one have 'free-trade' when the rules (wages etc) are different for trading countries?

Would the skeptics play a game like Monopoly if the rules were different for the players, but you still had to trade freely with other players? It would end up a very short game, anyway.

Here's another one they love: 'skilled labour' or 'skilled labour shortages'. Isn't this cheaper labour in Australia that will mean more demand for housing that's not in oversupply? I don't have a problem with more migrant workers, but where's the infrastructure (and manufacturing sectors) to meet demands? As Smurf1976 suggests, we no longer have a manufacturing force we once did in Australia.

<blockquote data-quote="konkon" data-source="post: 629006" data-attributes="member: 41992">So, so true! The so-called &#039;free-trade&#039; ethos that governments, media etc love will cause more problems here in Australia, as it did in the US, Europe etc. How does one have &#039;free-trade&#039; when the rules (wages etc) are different for trading countries? Would the skeptics play a game like Monopoly if the rules were different for the players, but you still had to trade freely with other players? It would end up a very short game, anyway. Here&#039;s another one they love: &#039;skilled labour&#039; or &#039;skilled labour shortages&#039;. Isn&#039;t this cheaper labour in Australia that will mean more demand for housing that&#039;s not in oversupply? I don&#039;t have a problem with more migrant workers, but where&#039;s the infrastructure (and manufacturing sectors) to meet demands? As Smurf1976 suggests, we no longer have a manufacturing force we once did in Australia.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="konkon, post: 629006, member: 41992"] So, so true! The so-called 'free-trade' ethos that governments, media etc love will cause more problems here in Australia, as it did in the US, Europe etc. How does one have 'free-trade' when the rules (wages etc) are different for trading countries? [B]Would the skeptics play a game like Monopoly if the rules were different for the players, but you still had to trade freely with other players? It would end up a very short game, anyway. [/B] Here's another one they love: 'skilled labour' or 'skilled labour shortages'. Isn't this cheaper labour in Australia that will mean more demand for housing that's not in oversupply? I don't have a problem with more migrant workers, but where's the infrastructure (and manufacturing sectors) to meet demands? As Smurf1976 suggests, we no longer have a manufacturing force we once did in Australia. [/QUOTE]

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