Quite simply, Australia is no longer a manufacturer - we cannot compete with low wages and low (or non-existent) tariff barriers to protect Australian manufacturing jobs in the global economy.

We must reassess how the Australian economy places itself in the manufacturing process. I would hazard that most Australians now recognize that increased technological prowess is vital to our role in the manufacturing cycle. It is now cliche for a manufacturer to be present in Australia while performing all the manufacturing overseas.

How do Australian firms generate revenue from this process: the answer is Intellectual Property. By using the international system of patents, designs, trade marks and various other rights, Australian firms can invest in research and development and, when secured, use their intellectual property rights in the results of their labours to control the manufacturing process in places such as China.

Of course, the interface between Western views of property law and the Chinese concepts is complex and leaves many Australian firms in the dark. Furthermore, the actual enforcement of rights, even if they are valid, can be difficult. There are things that we can do in this regard. For instance, Australia is presently involved in World Trade Organisation dispute No DS 362 in which the Chinese are being reprimanded for failing to implement laws in accordance with its obligations under the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Agreement to which it is a party. Action like this will have to be engaged in by Australia in order to protect Australian technology.

Intellectual Property is the future and we must engage it by:-

1. Making the rules behind intellectual property more simple and
2. Educating the public about intellectual property and how it works.

If the 20/20 conference can raise these issues then I would be satisfied.

ACS

To say that Australia is no longer a manufacturer is misleading. Yes our wage costs are high, but so are those of Japan (which is still a significant manufacturer). With high levels of automation, labour costs need not be too high, and we do have some significant advantages: low energy costs and being near the source of many of the raw materials. Of course there are many things that can be done cheaper overseas, but don't let that blind you to what we can do economically!

Captivity (2007)
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 38 min.
Release Date: July 13, 2007 (wide)
Distributors: After Dark Films
Cast: Elisha Cuthbert, Pruitt Taylor-Vince, Daniel Gillies, Laz Alonso, Michael Harney
Director: Roland Joffe
Producers: Mark Damon, Leonid Minkovski, Sergei Konov