Follow The Yellow Cake Road

"Anybody who understands the changing character of the South Australian economy at this time will understand these transitional arrangements are an intelligent response.’’ Said Prime Minister Howard today.

The Wizards of South Oz have been busy this week, spinning straw into gold, Chinese purchase of our uranium is meant to offset Adelaide manufacturing jobs going to the land of the Great Wall? Not likely.

It was bad enough that the uranium deal, in which an Australian listed company will sell all its ore to Beijing and beyond,was announced before treaties were signed, three-mine policies officially abandoned and in general showing some responsibility and accountablitiy wth our deadly treasures. The timing of the information's release did, however, bump the Electrolux off-shoring to the day's second place story for a while, at least until the press conference. 500 whitegood jobs will be globalised into China, Poland and Mexico. The impact of the event has been softened by a joint Federal/S.A. rescue package

Meanwhile S.A. is hosting the cast and crew of, and basically paying for a huge Bollywood movie to be made,no doubt to entice workers to move here under the working conditions they receive at home. Premier Rann said recently that it was "kind of publicity money can't buy." Doesn't that make you wonder how many tax dollars are funding a sci-fi flick? There was a story out of an energy conference in Adelaide this week saying how many young Indians were attempting to better their lot in life by training for careers in energy and gas. Any guesses where they're going to end up? Probably in the flats across the road from the 5 dollars an hour, unprotected and unsuperannuated call centre workers imported from Mumbai.

Perhaps the Electrolux workers will be able to sign AWAs and work for peanuts alongside the Indians to strengthen the US's South Australian regime change?

As an afterthought, today's Advertiser has run an editorial contemplating life in the city without a Mitsubishi factory, which came to the conclusion that we can bear the brunt and retrain the carmakers into warship builders and uranium miners. Remember a couple of years back when ran suggusted the Mitsubishi plant could become an M1A! Abrahams tank refurbishment factory? An announcement of something of that ilk can't be too far away.

As the yellowcake trundles up the Halliburton railway and off to China, we're going to see a lot of changes around here. Both State and Federal governments will be busy with "birthing pains" such as this for a while

Mr Howard, while making the comment on the "transitional nature" of South Australia, added that his government was not prepared to pay Electrolux to keep the jobs in the country. To me this implies that he's probably paying a few industries to keep going until the military production lines are up and running. I wonder if the workers at the Clipsal plant around the corner from my house will be assembling circuitry for weapons guidance systems after their current jobs go to Yu No Hoo? Count on it.. Yie, Ar, San, Sz, Wu...