US investment plans for Australia suit US interests

Vanguard December 2013 p. 6
Ned K.

In The Australian on Friday 1 November 2013, departing General Motors boss Mike Devereux is quoted as saying that Australians through the federal government should pay yearly ‘rent’ to General Motors for the privilege of General Motors manufacturing cars in Australia!

The implication being that if General Motors don’t receive the ‘rent’ they want, they close up shop completely in Australia.

Investment in Australian manufacturing by this ‘icon’ of US imperialism is not a high priority after years and decades of export of profits to the US from the exploitation of thousands of workers in Australia.

It is indicative of US imperialism’s overall plan for Australia which is as a military base to keep watch over Asia and as a source of profits from natural resources and large scale agriculture.

Its interest in controlling Australian agriculture is there for all to see in the take- over bid by US agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland for grain handler GrainCorp. GrainCorp was originally part of the NSW Government Grain Handling Authority and was privatised in the mid-1980s, assuming the name GrainCorp. The slippery slide of privatisation has led to the current situation of Archer Daniels Midland’s takeover bid already being approved by the toothless tiger, the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board.

The voice of grain farmers in opposing the sale and control of more of Australia’s grain handling and production to overseas corporations is reflected in the divisions within the Liberal – National Party Coalition government.

Grain farmers are under attack from US agribusiness and coal seam gas corporations

Grain farmers want the potential of Australia becoming the ‘food bowl’ of Australia to benefit the ordinary people of Australia, not US corporations.

Car workers at General Motors’ Victorian and South Australian plants want car manufacturing to benefit the Australian people, not US corporations.

Car workers and grain farmers have interests in common here which are very different to the plans of US corporations. Their common interest in opposing the domination of their respective industries is part of the developing people’s desire for an independent Australia.

This desire is completely lost on both major parliamentary parties, with Tony Abbott declaring Australia “open for business” and Labor shadow Trade Minister Wong championing foreign investment in agriculture at a speech to the Chifley Research Centre on Sunday 3 November.