Just a note to say that the free market is not the enemy of working people in Australia. Periodically we see silly articles about ‘neoliberalism’ as the great evil that we all must fight against, that is downgrading our lives etc etc.
In fact the greatest profiteers on the rich side are the ones who OPPOSE the free market. The multimillionaire nightclub owner who demands visa labor to work in his places because he’s horrified of having to pay proper market wages; and the farmers who likewise demand visa slaves who get paid $5 an hour or face deportation. The mining companies that claim a lifetime monopoly stake on our minerals and pay us a lousy royalty of 5% when they feel like it. All the corrupt rentiers getting cushy government contracts from their government mates. The banks (who are really undeclared network monopolies) who use the ‘four pillars’ monopoly to gouge what they can. Software monopolists like Microsoft; network monopolies like Google and Facebook. All the ‘public servants’ (many of whom got their jobs through nepotism and mates) who know they can’t be sacked. And of course the press gallery and the media who consider it their sacred professional duty to suck up to these people (in particular by pushing wage lowering bonded visa immigration- we can’t have market forces raising wages, can we?).
The real, genuine, free market is the best friend ordinary Australians have ever had. Or it would be if it were really allowed to operate, instead of all the rentiers, market-riggers and spivs who have it operating in their own interest instead.
The most important laws, hands down, economically in our country are our competition laws. They should be massively beefed up and strengthened, as should there be a total ban on bonded visa labor slaves. Nobody should be working in Australia who can be threatened with deportation if they quit. That is not work, that is slavery. (Got that, fruit growers?) And our anti corruption laws need a massive boost as well. We’re all getting ripped off blind by the elites who hate free markets and have rigged things accordingly; and our pathetic ‘media’ who cheer it on.