I would like to make a comment, that the Asian immigrants will probably never integrate. They may wave the Australian flags when they first come, just to fool the Australian public, but they know better where their loyalty stands. And the problem will grow as more immigrants arrive and accumulate in their ghettos. What makes the Australian government believe that things will turn out different in Australia? Why can't they observe the consequences of a full blown multicultural experiment in America? This has already been tried and done, and nowhere, not even once did it work.

Sincerely,
Peter Sarich
Toronto

Subject: Redefining the Mainstream of Opinion.

Dear Sir,

I would like to make the comment that Pauline Hanson has an important role in redefining what is "mainstream" and "middle of the road" in Australian politics.

For too long, the Australian public has been led by the nose by a noisy, vulgar minority - the kind of guys writing hate mail in inarticulate gutter language to News Headlines of the Day. The failed application of their utopian ideals is everywhere to be seen. When these minority groups were in their heyday, over 13 years under Labours heel, they were arrogant and hard in their imposition of their values on this country. They just about ground Australia to a halt by crippling small to medium business with unworkable social and Industrial Relations "reforms", together with labour's high interest rates.

When not in power, these same people are full of violence and hate, and think nothing of crippling the economy via strike action, as is the case with the Western Australian union "blockade".

While Labour was in power, we saw the almost total takeover of Australia's export beef processing industry by Foreign companies. The barest minimum of value adding is carried out here, under a non-competitive, out of date industrial relations system, combined with the world's most oppressive and costly meat inspection regime - imposed on us by the United States.

The result is a cost per kilo of US$0.80-1.20 for Australian processors, against an average figure of US$0.42/kg for US processors. Why? because they don't have to comply with the same standards our processors have to meet under agreement between AQIS and the US Department of Agriculture. Why? Because the Australian regulators took a backward step in every phase of their negotiations with the Americans, without asking for anything in return. It is the view of many in the meat industry that most American abattoirs could not comply with the strict inspection and quality regime imposed on Australian beef exporters.

The profit for our Australian beef is largely taken overseas, through transfer pricing arrangements, and the high value adding conversion to cuts and processed meats is performed in another country. But Labour got what they wanted - the unions were left to do their thing largely without hinderance.

With foreign takeovers of mature manufacturing concerns during the "hard labour" period, we saw an unprecedented amount of asset stripping of Australian companies, and manufacturing moving off-shore. Through the namby-pamby Foreign Investment Review Board, they allowed a vast wholesale sell-off of Australian assets to foreign interests. This without even so much as a 50% local joint venture partner requirement, as is the case in Indonesia and Malaysia, for example.

I would like to include a local example of this asset stripping - the closure of the Triumph House of Jenyns ladies underwear factories in Ipswich and Brisbane. In this case, 320 employees, mostly women supporting unemployed men and families, were put out of work virtually overnight.

This once Australian-owned company was sold to international interests. Even though these Australian factories operated as a profitable concern, wage rates in Indonesia were just $0.30/hour, and Triumph could more profitably supply the Australian market from an Asian production base. The factories were shut, and another profitable business went offshore. Australian women have little choice now but to buy Asian-made underwear, and that's the end of the story. To make matters worse, we now have a "conservative" government in power which is shaping up to be even more of a disappointment than Malcolm Fraser's Liberal government. The trend continues with the announcement by BHP of it closure of the Newcastle steel mill. OK, they are retiring 50 year old technology, but where are they meeting their obligations as responsible corporate citizens, and investing in new mini-mill steel technology in eastern Australia? There must be something the federal government can do to "make it happen", instead of just their present attitude of "shit happens".

Under the present Liberal government, we see the banks taking over $10billion in pre-tax profits, and unprecedented lending margins. At the same time, the federal government wonders why things aren't booming as they should. With such a long record of bad government in Australia, is it any wonder there is little confidence out there?

The people responsible for these woeful outcomes for Australia are the ones which are "un-Australian", not the Pauline Hanson supporters. If Pauline's comments are a danger to the continuation of this sort of foreign investment, then I'm a supporter.

If government truly wants to help build this country, it must put in some checks and balances to ensure we do not sell out our children's inheritance. In the case of a market failure, such as appears to be the case with "access to capital by small to medium business", mentioned in just about every government report on "the problems facing Australian Industry". The answer must not just come from foreign asset-strippers, as is presently the case. This is one area where the government can intervene in a constructive manner, which will benefit all Australian citizens.

How about implementing a plan discussed by BA Santamaria in this weekend's Weekend Australian? Santamaria discusses a proposal in which a national rebuilding fund is set up, whereby cheap finance is made available to small to medium business to provide growth and start-up capital through the Reserve Bank, at 1% interest. This has been done in Germany, why not here?

It is time for our "representatives" in parliament to stop snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and show some backbone in leadership of this country. They must stop pandering to the strident urgings of these foul-mouthed, small minded, unrepresentative left-wing pressure groups. They have had their time to stuff this country, now its our turn to right their wrongs.

Yours sincerely

Brian White. PS, I am not a racist, but I note an entire family of Vietnamese origin was convicted on Friday of heroin trafficking in Brisbane. Testimony to the ineffective filtration of undesirable elements under our immigration system. No doubt these people were accepted as refugees, and look at how they repay the favour.