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Australian consumers, and our floods and cyclones

By Valerie Yule - posted Wednesday, 9 February 2011


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Manufacturers and producers let all Australians down, when they do not give of their best but seek to get away with scams and as high prices as possible, as in the recent government embarrassments of some home insulation and school buildings programs.

Retailers and the media that usually give all their publicity and prominent space to overseas owners and products also let all Australians down.

More people are unable to buy Australian-owned products even when they wish to.

An example is confectionary at Christmas-time, when fine Australian chocolates are neglected so that everyone buys fine imported chocolates. Over the last forty years I have seen excellent companies disappear – either bought up by multinationals and their products made overseas or not at all, or excellent products relegated to corners of shops, and dropped out of sight – and out of existence. An example is the best lawnmower for the average lawn, the Flymo model H33.

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I can run this manual mower, Australian-made over twenty years ago, over my lawn in five minutes although I am 82, while my neighbors haul heavy power-motors out of the shed and get them going - which I could not do.

Everyone automatically thinks power-mowers are better for pocket-handkerchief size lawns!

But even the Australian-made power Victor is rivalled by imports.

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About the Author

Valerie Yule is a writer and researcher on imagination, literacy and social issues.

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