Re: Brisbane airtrain

[lbrown2@bigpond.com (Brown Family)]

On Fri, 08 Jun 2001 00:17:37 GMT, usenet.spam@gunzel.net (Michael)
wrote:

>John Coyle <nospam@newsranger.com> wrote in article
><IKRT6.141$pb1.3896@www.newsranger.com>: 
>
>>Anyhow, the real point made to QR was, other counties in our region do
>>build high quality rolling stock at far less cost than here. Look at it
>>this way, if QR spent $500,000 on a second hand two car diesel set from
>>overseas, and another one million dollars rebuilding the train, or more,
>>for that matter, they would save four million dollars, per two car set!
>
>If you believe that your organisation has caused or wants to cause QR to 
>purchase offshore, then you can also thank yourself for closing down part 
>of Australias rollingstock industry and putting more people out of work.
>
>Victoria under privatisation, sold out to Europe for rollingstock 
>manufacture and immediately Adtranz in Dandenong closed, and more recently 
>Goninan in Bendigo have closed. That's more people unemployed.
>
>For the sake of saving if a few dollars, is it really worth selling out 
>offshore???? Remember the old saying that goes like "charity starts at 
>home".

First, I would like to start off by asking Michael what sort of a car
does he drive? Are his clothes made here? shoes? computers? Would
Michael mind paying 10-50% more to buy locally made? How long would a
government last if it bumped up prices by that much? The introduction
GST would be like the pimple on an elephant's bum compared to the
re-introduction of tarrifs on foreign made goods.

Second, why should Australia buy locally produced rolling stock when
it can be imported quicker from overseas? Price is not the sole
factor, especially these days with the A$ as it is. Most of
Australia's motor vehicles are imported and sold at a far higher cost
than the local manufacture. Why? For many reasons of which cost is not
a major consideration.

Here is a bit of interesting news:
http://www.theage.com.au/business/2001/06/11/FFXIHJ6PRNC.html

Now, I don't hear too many people jumping up and down saying that we
should all buy locally manufactured vehicles. So why should we
disadvantage the rail companies from buying overseas? Higher costs for
vehicles or delays in production mean less passengers due to increased
fares and rolling stock more prone to breakdowns, The rail companies
are any more inclined to losing money than Fred Nurk wants to pay more
tax.

There is no point in making a rail company buy locally when foreign
made cars can be bought without any disincentinve. There are no
tarrifs against importation so Australia now has to compete with the
rest of the world. Welcome to Global Reality. Get used to it. 

Les Brown