Sparking Europe’s economy
Governments across Europe are planning for a new electric age. Driven by car manufacturers and energy companies, European politicians are vying to lead the development of electric cars. [...]
Car industry
Mit Vollgas in die Krise
Europas Industriepolitiker könnten auf einer Zeitreise nach Australien besichtigen, welchen Effekt eine Dauersubventionierung der Autoindustrie auf deren Wettbewerbsfähigkeit hat. Nach Jahrzehnten, in denen sie Autos aus der automobilen Steinzeit produziert haben, gibt es wohl zumindest für GM Holden kein Zurück in die Zukunft. Nur wer sagt es dem Premierminister? [...]
Just another Muppet show
It takes a degree of chutzpah to hand over big subsidies to the car industry only to claim that this was a great environmental achievement. It’s the political equivalent of having your cake and eating it. [...]
It’s not easy being green
As Kermit the Frog famously sang "It's not easy being green". Well, it certainly isn't if you're a politician. Green policies may be popular and they may even win you votes. But the flipside is that such policies usually come at a price to the consumer and the taxpayer. So the temptation for politicians is to find a way that will make them look green without actually hurting anyone.The Australian government's policy towards the car industry is a good example. [...]
Taxpayers pay billions for Govt’s car trip
The Commonwealth's car plan was built around three policy objectives: to strengthen Australia's industrial base, help the environment, and support jobs. None of these arguments hold up to closer scrutiny. In fact, all that the Rudd Government's car plan amounts to is an old-fashioned, protectionist industrial policy, neatly hidden behind a giant green smokescreen. [...]
Goodbye GM, hello Rudd Car
Committing $100,000 of taxpayer money to saving each job in the car industry was already a prodigious waste of money but this will look cheap compared with the cost of nationalising Holden. In time, Australians will come to rue the day Rudd decided to treat the car industry as an issue of systemic significance. [...]
With No Particular Place to Go: The Federal Government’s Ill-Conceived Support for the Australian Car Industry
A strong car industry would be an asset to the Australian economy only if it stood on its own two feet. Relying on government support is no substitute for building good quality and good value cars for which there is market demand. [...]
Time to stand up to Detroit
It is time our politicians stand up to the highway robbers of General Motors and protect Australian taxpayers. And it would be far better to help Holden's workers directly rather than handing out money to an American company on the brink of bankruptcy. [...]