Who advises G.Reinhart one wonders??

I would prefere to spend a day with the lady from Geraldton, than a second, with the one here in Perth.
The lady in Geraldton has more class in her little finger, and is all about "family"

"Speaking on the Nine Network, Mrs Kickett said the late mining magnate had had an illicit affair with an Aboriginal cook on his property at Mulga Downs and had told her ''many times'' that he was her father.

''I went down a different path but I like the way I have turned out,'' she said."

"But Mrs Kickett, who lives in Geraldton, north of Perth, said her life had been ''far more rewarding than material stuff'' and she would not launch a claim for a part of the family's estate. ''Why should I?'' she said."

It's not that she wants Australian worker to get paid 2 bucks a day ,it's the fact that she could possibly contemplate that it is a reasonable thing to think. Rinehardt knows it will give fuel to the right wingers amongst us that wages are too high. The mining tax will ruin mining and the carbon tax will end civilization as we know it.

Isn't it funny that when the treasurer comes out and says the citizens should get more of the results of the mining boom every Tory , shock jock, and right wing paper cries......"CLASS WARFARE!!!" but when one of the billionaire miners blows the dog whistle of exorbitant wages then thats NOT class warfare.

It only goes one way this "class" thing does it??

At least you put figures in the discussion simstat !

You're using CPI, but might want to compare with avg wages over the same period.
Pretty sure wages have not followed CPI increases over the last 15 years, far from it.
CPI coverage is not globally owed by employers to the workforce, but if one can get it for a particular situation (unions, booms, emerging markets), then good on them. I consider myself part of this lucky bunch, but do not take it as granted nor owed to me, as I know you don't.


This is true... only if they can fire any poorly-performing worker right there and then. If not, then it's more like unions and the laws that keep many people overpaid, not the market forces - IMO.

Is the case for one of my Telco customers: true they need pay big bucks to attract people THAT MAY OR MAY NOT be competent. Then in many cases they're stuck with riff-raff they can't get rid of, through various human rights and fair work laws.


Actually, the more I think about the analogy... Many mining markets are on a spike, this is the nature of the thing. I remind you of Ravensthorpe, not that people lost that much wages there. The whole thing depends on global economy, what's happening in China, rising wages, etc.

No, it's not the smart ones amongst the locals that remained in IT, dunno where you got that from. No darwinism there. Fact is, individuals of average skills were paid too high, took advantage of a scam employers fell for. Good on them, but the next generation is rather screwed, as both out- and in-sourcing as well on the way.

In fact, this discussion is about the next generation. There is no doubt that you're making good money. Nor that the wind has been good lately...

This rail gun you speak of, would it be capable of launching Gina into orbit?