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READING the hysteria last week surrounding the demise of Holden you would think this all happened recently. The unions and Labor are saying it’s all the Coalition’s fault. Now let me think – when did Ford fold? That’s right – in May 2013 while Greg Combet was Minister for Industry and Innovation under Gillard’s Labor Government. What was he again before that? Secretary of the ACTU!
GM and Toyota made their minds up long ago that it was simply unprofitable to make cars without billions of taxpayer’s money being handed out in subsidies.
But what has gone unnoticed is that the car makers themselves must take some of the heat.
In 1982, the top selling car was the locally-made Ford XE Falcon, which achieved 84,000 sales out of a total market of 616,000. Last year, it was the Toyota Hilux with 42,000 sales out of a total of 1,178,133.
But while car sales doubled, the number of imported and locally produced variants rose exponentially and quite simply got out of hand. And so the demise of the industry was set in motion.
DARRYLE KNOWLES, BROADBEACH
COMMUNITY Groups from the north to the south of our city attended the Truth In Council Public Meeting at the Albert Waterways Hall on the 26th October.
A diverse range of issues were addressed, from more proposed parking fees in our suburbs, traffic tangles, and perceived lack of transparency in Council process to the provision of local facilities.
Of particular concern to members of our Conservation Association were the addresses re the plight of koalas, bushland clearing, the threat to Black Swan Lake and the non-purchase of large habitat and public open space – such purchasing having consistently been done by Council in past six years. This is despite a ratepayer levy collected during this time.
The most moving address was given by a young blind lady whose parking rights in her local suburb and those of her community carers’ may be subject to the new proposed two hour limit parking fees.
Apparently councillors should definitely be more conscious of the separation of powers so officers address concerns from representation which were expressed by such a wide range of local not for profit, volunteer associations
SALLY SPAIN, PRES. WILDLIFE Q GC & HINTERLAND
DAVID Chan (GCB, 27/10), as much as I would like to ignore another one of your anti-Labor, antiGreens, anti-gay opinion pieces, I feel I must correct you on a couple of points.
First, we are not having a SSM postal plebiscite at the moment. We are enduring a prolonged Government-backed postal opinion poll on the civil rights of a minority group of Australians.
Secondly, the majority of Australians (polls of 60 to 70 per cent) wanted the Government to enact a law to allow this minority (gay people) to have the same marriage rights as everyone else.
COLIN HAUVILLE, SURFERS PARADISE