Again, the objective for Australian manufacturing is to identify comparative advantage.
Comparative advantage occurs on two levels:
1. international comparative advantage - where Australia produces an innovative or price competitive product that the world wants.
2. local comparative advantage - where it is cheaper to produce here in Australia rather than import from overseas.
In 1948, when GM or Holden opened in Australia, the theory of local comparative advantage was used. It was cheaper to manufacture here to make cars more affordable for the general population, rather than having expensive imported cars only affordable by the wealthy.
Currently, there are a number of areas where Australia still holds a local comparative advantage, especially in aerosols or processed chemicals, where the costs of and regulations for importing 'dangerous goods' are still prohibitive. In this case many international global aerosol or chemical companies choose to manufacture in Australia for local demand.
However, for international comparative advantage, as said previously government policy and objectives need to target support for where Australia produces an innovative or price competitive product that the world wants.
We do that with food products, mining and some technology too.
The question was raised earlier, do we leave this up to entrepreneurs and business leaders?
The American car industry is an example where entrepreneurs and business leaders have led a once growing industry into stagnation and redundancy.
They failed to innovate.
The lessons of the 1970's oil crises should have spurred the American industry to create cars that people wanted.
The same can be said of the Australian car industry too.
Where's the innovation?
The lack of innovation since the '80s has allowed growing players in Asia to enter the world car market.
And on the price comparatitive side of things, how many PRE'nders know that an 'unskilled' worker in Australia's car industry, through the AMWU, gets $32 per hour, plus a new car every year. Then, it goes up from there. Is that competitive?
That's not even competitive within Australia, yet alone internationally.
Currently, we are waiting to see what Toyota's HQ decision will be with the continued manufacture of the Camry.
How old, how long has the Camry been in manufacture? It began in Japan in 1982, and Australian Camry manufacture by Toyota began in 1994.
So, we are still trying to build Camry 20 years on.
Where's the innovation?
We cannot blame this on population alone.
South Korea has a population of 50 million. Although larger than Australia, it is of a similar scale when you compare America's 300 million, or India's 1.2 billion.
Yet South Korea have attained a global comparative advantage,
They have created an innovative and price competitive car in the Hyundai brand, and with much likelihood, Toyota's Australian manufacturing will be transferred to South Korea.
The Velostar is a fantastic car, especially for the price.
This is our manufacturing challenge.
Not just for the car industry, but for our manufacturing in general.
We need innovation. We need to support innovation.