Thursday, July 27, 2006

Fatal Fantasy: Free Trade Agreements hurt Manufacturing

Bluescope Steel boss, Kirby Adams, has labelled the federal government’s free trade infatuation a “naïve fantasy”.

Adams broke ranks with big business colleagues to lash John Howard’s move for a free trade agreement with low-wage colossus, China.

Adams said Australia was caught up in a “fantasy” that it could lead the world to a free trade “nirvana” by unilaterally dropping tariffs “while the rest of the world laughed at it”.

“There are massive costs for Australia’s manufacturers and for the millions of men and women employed by them,” he told a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce.

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