COLAC businesses have received a boost after the Federal Government announced almost $4 million in grants to help create 40 new jobs for Colac and district.
District industries receive $4M boost
Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson visited AKD Softwoods chief executive officer Shane Vicary to announce a $3.5-million grant for the business.
5 Responses to “District industries receive $4M boost”
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Toyota wanted to keep manufacturing in Australia but needed Ford to stay so that the business’s that supplied both car makers could keep the cost of components down through economies of scale. As soon as Ford said they were shutting up shop Toyota had no choice but to follow suit.
Why did Ford shut up shop? The car industry had always got financial assistance from successive Australian governments. Because the Aussie $ was trading so high it made it very difficult for Ford to compete against imported cars as imports became cheaper.
it therefore, became essential that government assistance be maintained to help keep Ford viable in Australia. When Ford went to the Abbott Government to plead their case for more assistance Hockey and Abbott emphatically told them handouts were over. Hockey even and the temerity to goad them out of Australia. Ford unfortunately responded accordingly.
Make no mistake,the demise of the car industry in Australia is down to this present Federal government.
The tragic irony is that had the Coalition Government had continued the assistance Ford and Toyota not only would have stayed in Australia but would have been far more competitive into the future because the Aussie $ is now only just over 70cents US.
The full ramifications of the diabolical decision of the Federal Liberal Government will be really felt in a couple of years time. Not only will car workers be forced onto the unemployed scrape heap but all those industries that supplied components to the car makers will cease to exist also.
Yeah, the whole knock on effect is going to hit bloody hard! ☹
@Phil, Nisan and Mitsubishi both left Australia under Labor, the reason why Ford have left is because people are not buying their cars,they continue to buy cheap imported cars from over seas
I was always of the belief that it was the Libs that lowered the tax on imports and the lower cost of offshore manufacturing that led to the demise of the Australian car industry.
But people will always buy cheaper cars or other product, they want to save their money and don’t think about the knock on effect… just like people not shopping in their local towns, it leads to a lack of available products and\or higher prices.
Given that the government Sarah Henderson is a member has driven the car industry out of Australia with the subsequent loss of many thousands of jobs I would have thought this is the very least her government could do for the Geelong/Colac region.