Comparative advantage was an often used debate point by Australian politicians. Unfortunately, only recently have studies on this topic started to mention that

Comparative advantage was an often used debate point by Australian politicians. Unfortunately, only recently have studies on this topic started to mention that some countries exploit what is essentially slave labour, and that they have little regard for environmental consequences. I believe these studies strongly influence our public servants so it’s unfortunate that such important points have not being raised sooner by academics. Higher worker costs, along with other reasons, means the Australian manufacturing industry could not compete in the international market. With import tariffs being steadily reduced since the 70s (from roughly 35% in 1970 to below 5% in 2016), the local industry could not compete against international competitors in the local markets either. Without these protections, all of our car manufacturers have shut down, for example. So, we’re in a situation where the majority of our local manufacturing industry has evaporated. We are dependent on the industries of other countries. This is only made possible by our abundance of in-demand and conveniently-located raw materials. Our exports are mostly oil (33%), unprocessed ores (29%) and uncut gems (7%) (other types of industries don’t come close, with meat next at 4%). This has supported our dollar and given us fifty years of paradise. Clearly, this is not sustainable. Should our goods stop selling, our exporters will be in trouble, our dollar will drop, and our importers (everyone!) will be in trouble. It shouldn’t be necessary, but I hope a silver lining of this recent crisis is that it provokes our politicians into fixing this absurd situation. I do not want to be dependent on the slave-driven & environmentally-damaging industries of other countries.