SUBSIDISE OZ ARTS NOT CARS

MINING BOOM WASTED ON MANUFACTURING SUBSIDIES

While foreign mining companies rip out our mineral wealth, and fight any reasonable tax on their super level of profits (based on high prices paid for exporting them to countries like China) - the watered down mining tax isn't being used to support new Australian movies and other creative arts or local outlets for them such as festivals and new venues. Instead the new mining taxes are used to prop up foreign owned car manufacturing here. Such cars made locally, still struggle to complete with imported cars - who often use "cheap" labour overseas, or are simply prestige brands.

Australian governments "partner" here (ie fund) with these foreign car makers, rather than with local arts/media producers. We are virtually the only country adhering to the "free trade" concept, so our footwear and clothing industries have all gone to China/ India etc. The high $A means that imported cars and overseas holidays are cheaper than homemade ones. Now our heavy manufacturing is mostly going overseas too.  The federal Labor Government is currently putting the highest price on carbon of any country in the world - though  the European countries carbon trading scheme will likely recover one day. Other countries may catch up with Australia on free trade too - but can we wait for that as we lose our manufacturing industries and skills base?

Surely what is required is a return of import tariffs on some imported goods - such as cars, where we can't compete without govt subsidies  These could be lower for environmentally advanced cars, with the money made - spent on public transport infrastructure (trains not roads). The level of tariff may vary according to the level of the $A - as a lower dollar rate makes cars and other imports, less cheap anyway. A genuine increase in international free trade agreements might effect the tariff level too. An exit tax on overseas travel should also be considered, as a way to fund tax breaks for local tourist industries. Australian art can't be imported (unlike cars) so it should be subsidised by the government. Our local quality movies and arts scene has never been in worse shape. We need our own stories told, they can't be imported- or are we expected to only have high immigration driven homogenised multicultural "arts" industry?

Otherwise we will become just a dumping ground for overseas productions - oops we are already doing that. There is not even one alternative/arts channel on free to air TV. Just old imported repeats on multiple channels run by the old corporate media oligopoly. Shame Gillard shame!  The Unemployed Peoples Embassy - the long time non profit organisation that publishes Dole News, has run various projects assisting local artists in Sydney, over a long period of time. These include, an annual Alternative Festival of Arts (now called EMBRiO) for 16 years an arts magazine and even an Arts Farm pilot. These will be outlines here soon - and you can see some details on our Odd Job Centre website :  http://unemployedembassy.magix.net  where there is an email box you can communicate with us through  Our projects have only had very small govt funding support over several decades. Google Dole News for our other blogs with various amazing articles

FUTURE SOCIETY BEYOND WORK

It was once thought that increasing technology would be "labour saving" - allowing people more leisure time to be creative. Instead the basses are just reaping more profits from machine and real estate profits. Politics is no longer about making society more fair and healthier.