Today's article in the NZ Herald that big Australian banks are charging NZers more than they do for their customers in Australia, comes as no surprise, on the back of other claims about bullying tactics for NZ suppliers to Aussie owned supermarket chains. No doubt if we dig deeper we would find more examples of this quasi-Aussie colonialism or to put it bluntly----rip offs.
Why does this happen? The answer is clear---they can----simple, because we let them. Our Government (successive ones) have let this happen because they do not stand up ton the big bully across the Tasman. Yes, Australia is an important trading partner and our links go back many years. In many ways we are one big (for our region) market and it makes sense to have close economic ties, but not if the 'playing field' is not level. The small distance across the Tasman should not be held up as a reason for charging more in this day of technological bridging and lets face it: Parts of Australia are further away and more remote from Sydney than NZ is.
Of course we don't want to break off ties or whinge and whine about this situation---we need to do something about it and not be put off by arrogant Australian politicians and business people. We are not without power in this relationship. Australia may 'dig' its wealth from beneath the surface and send it to China (we too have a close trading relationship with that huge nation) but they still need us for their manufactured products and other services. That they charge us more for some of these 'services,' can be renegotiated and if our politicians can't do that, then let the people here, turn to NZ 'providers,' en masse! A word of warning to those NZ 'suppliers'---don't take us for granted! Lets have a bit of a 'fair go', my Aussie cousins.
Why does this happen? The answer is clear---they can----simple, because we let them. Our Government (successive ones) have let this happen because they do not stand up ton the big bully across the Tasman. Yes, Australia is an important trading partner and our links go back many years. In many ways we are one big (for our region) market and it makes sense to have close economic ties, but not if the 'playing field' is not level. The small distance across the Tasman should not be held up as a reason for charging more in this day of technological bridging and lets face it: Parts of Australia are further away and more remote from Sydney than NZ is.
Of course we don't want to break off ties or whinge and whine about this situation---we need to do something about it and not be put off by arrogant Australian politicians and business people. We are not without power in this relationship. Australia may 'dig' its wealth from beneath the surface and send it to China (we too have a close trading relationship with that huge nation) but they still need us for their manufactured products and other services. That they charge us more for some of these 'services,' can be renegotiated and if our politicians can't do that, then let the people here, turn to NZ 'providers,' en masse! A word of warning to those NZ 'suppliers'---don't take us for granted! Lets have a bit of a 'fair go', my Aussie cousins.
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