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Tariff Protection
It should be abundantly clear to the Federal government that
ALL Australians put jobs before tariff cuts.
The results of an opinion poll commissioned by the
Australian Business Chamber show 85% of people would prefer tariff levels maintained, and
over 90% believe tariff cuts would mean significant job losses to a wide cross section of
primary and secondary industries, which would include agriculture, cattle, textiles,
footwear, mining and manufacturing, to name a few.
The Prime Minister has consistently declared that lowering
unemployment is the government's top priority, but at the same time its policies on
tariffs and privatisation are adding to the growing number of jobless.
Before slashing or reducing tariffs, the government would be
wise to consider that Australians would be prepared to pay higher prices for Australian Made goods in order to prevent further
job losses. They certainly do not want to see more small business closures, knowing full
well that small businesses are the backbone of our economy.
The government MUST act
urgently to protect jobs under threat by cheap imported Asian products, often produced by
women and children in their homes for a pittance.
The government MUST emulate the
example of European and other Western countries with equivalent, sustainable tariff
protection for Australian producers, to ensure that Australia does not become economically
dependent on Asian nations for our manufactured goods.
