Coronavirus spurs local manufacturing

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It has always been a concern of mine that Australia produces very little in the way of manufactured products of any kind, be it food, appliances, machinery or anything else. Because of our relatively high wages, local products can’t compete with imported goods from, mostly, third world countries. This is now coming back to bite us as the coronavirus impacts so strongly on our lives. Between 1947 and the 1980s, a fish and vegetable cannery operated in Albany on Western Australia’s south coast. This is now being redeveloped with the potential to produce 500,000 cans of sardines and 500 tonnes of salmon a year. Hopefully the cannery will lead to increased salmon fishing in the region. At present, salmon is canned in Thailand and the product is cheaper than what will be produced in Albany. We only have one Australian company producing frozen vegetables. We really need to be more self-sufficient, especially if more pandemics are in the offing. The cannery is expected to employ around 25 people but it will be two years before it is up and running. However, it is a step in the right direction. The photo is of an artwork in the Albany museum and honours the lighthorsemen who sailed from the port with the horses to take part in World War I.