Imo as an ex plastics manufacturer its not normally the wages...

Imo as an ex plastics manufacturer its not normally the wages that destroy manufacturers competitiveness its every other cost input ie productivity restrictions,work practices,red tape,energy costs,sometimes freight eg costs less to drop imported freight to various states than to transport from melbourne eg delivery from melb to melb u make money,delivery from melb to nsw u make money ,delivery to qld u break even ,delivery to wa u lose big money generally.Obvious answer we need an efficient freight network with standard gauge rail regionally and nationally and where trucks/containers can drive onto carraiges etc etc.
Bureaucrats have to stop trying to justify their jobs by dreaming up new ideas which adds massive cost to business eg last report 20-25% ceos time spent on compliance issues.
I repeat ,the orange for the jam costs nothing in australia or belguim,but process and package that orange and all of a sudden its not competitive,and generally its not the wage its ALL the other bs.
Same generally the plastics industry etc etc etc .
Feel warm and cozy shutting down hazelwood,well add the increased energy cost to the jar of jam,and to the jar its self on and on its been going for to long so now we can't value add and we have both sides of dh govts saying we rely on foreign capital.Y because we have built in so much bs into the cost to manufacture that we can't value add,so we sell the farm.