The Ford announcement

Vanguard July 2013 p. 9
Contributed

The announcement by Ford Australia of its intention to cease vehicle production here in 2016 has had a substantial impact across the country, especially in Victoria where the production occurs.

It has given rise to a flurry of media, political and general public response, which cannot fail to bring about a huge increase in the depth of people’s awareness of the vulnerability the nation faces as a result of the subservience shown by both major political parties to foreign economic domination.

Ford Australia’s CEO appeared on the ABC 7:30 report, and tried to soften the blow by stating that Ford would maintain a strong interest in Australia. To which presenter Leigh Sales, to her credit, responded, “Surely you don’t expect the Australian people to swallow that spin?”

It was quite a justified response. But nevertheless remarkable that the local head of a huge US multinational company should be humiliated in this manner on national television.

Bosses’ politicians offer no real solutions

The political response so far has had little or nothing to propose as a way forward. The Prime Minister has restricted the government’s contribution to the situation to funds to provide some assistance to the workers in the industry when it closes. Nothing said about the many thousands in associated manufacturing whose livelihood is also threatened.

Abbott’s contribution is to blame the Carbon Tax as the primary factor. This is a view that has not been accepted by commentators; even those on the conservative side were not able to accept such nonsense.

Victorian Premier Napthine wants the National Disability Allowance Scheme administrative headquarters to be located in Geelong, because it will provide employment for about 1000 people. This idea must fill the hearts of workers skilled in the manufacture of cars with overwhelming relief?!

It appears that the workers at Broadmeadows are to be hung out to dry however.

The Ford announcement is not out of the blue. It has been known to be coming for months, even years. It follows a series of closures in manufacturing industries by multinational companies and Australian companies, which have moved to places where labour is cheap – mostly Asian countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

Banks have also relocated certain of their central information centres overseas, particularly to India.

It is time the Australian people put an end to this national sell-out. It has now become clear to a substantial percentage of the Australian public that this will not be brought about by either of the two main political parties, as both have, by their policies and actions or lack of action for many decades, shown their willingness to comply with the dictates of big business, especially multinational corporations, be it in vehicle making, mining, food processing, etc.

Nationalisation a step in the right direction

Victoria and Australia need huge state-owned undertakings to be carried out relatively urgently. They have the potential to provide employment for numerous people for years to come.

Transport problems in Melbourne, in the inner city and suburbs have led to chaos on the roads and overcrowded trains.

Climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions is making the change over from fossil fuels to renewable energy essential, particularly in regard to large-scale electricity production and vehicle powering in the cities.

Here is an opportunity to act. Wouldn’t it be a powerful move if the federal government told Ford that in view of the more than $1 billion of subsidy it has given the company in the past decade or so, it will take all its plant and equipment when they leave, as compensation.

It would be quite possible to then start building electrically powered vehicles for city driving, in factories under the public ownership of the Australian people, managed by Australians, and operated by the highly skilled workforce which already exists.

General Motors Holden’s CEO in a recent interview pointed out that Ford had a brilliant design team of about 1000 people. So the complete workforce is available – it just needs to happen – and before they’re poached by Holden (itself on the verge of closure) or some other mob.

The announcement by Ford has resulted in a sharp rise in the understanding of the Australian people of the need to gain real independence from the control of our economy by foreign investors through multinational companies and by other means.

Despite the constant harping by supporters of the so-called ‘free market’ and weak government responses, the movement of history is irreversibly heading toward the creation of a genuinely independent Australian Peoples Republic.