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How about the government and the different departments move away from big corporations like Microsoft and ditch Windows, Office, Teams etc and go for open source programs?
We're deeply embedded, yes, but we'd be able to drop them just like that if we really tried. We're just too happy with the status quo to do anything about it.
I'm encouraging every little one of us to stop sending money to US companies wherever possible. People here already are likely to be less dependent on US digital services, but pay attention. Support Fedi servers in AU or EU. Kick big tech to the curb. Think about where stuff comes from. There's some things very hard to give up but people can live quite fine without Bezos Musk and Zuckerberg. Fuck all of them.
we need an aussie iphone! "Hey C***, play Land Down Under on music" "yeah nah C***, I dont see an alarm called Land Down Under"
I would buy the shit out of this
Good! Cause we've got C*** pay! And a revolutionary new budgeting feature where the C*** voice assistant calls you a choice swear word for spending too much money.
Why tf if lambo going off at albanese when dutton is halfway up the fucker's anal cavity and butrowing deeper
Because Albo is currently in power?
...do you know how the house of representatives works?
Being cut off by the US isn’t a thing. These US businesses operate in other countries solely to extract revenue from their governments and consumers. We (Canadian here) should be so lucky to have them disappear so we can build economic and cultural independence. Such a change will not be made by the US. Instead, we cut them off.
I think most of the stuff you listed, would at worst be a medium to high inconvenience, certainly nothing that's going to shut down the country if it ever got down to it
Most of them I want gone. From that list, I only use one or two Google/YouTube products, and am forced on a couple of the social medias only for specific event chatrooms.
You're right, it's cultural dominance and propaganda, not reliance. They benefit from it more than we do.
Most of them I want gone
Same, I'm down to just Youtube and Iphone as the two things I could not replace...but how would the rest of Australia do
How would corporate Australia handle it if Trump did some truly insane things like an export tax on all Microsoft products +100% or banning American software in Australia?
He's saying he wants to make Canada the 51st state of America so I'm not sure where the stupidity of him ends
How quickly would we go as a nation from Yeah Fuck Trump! to nooo don't take my facebook!
Perhaps I am delusional, but I still hope that we are contrary and proud enough of a country to take whatever America can dish out to not be publicly humiliated into submission.
Obviously there are a multiple of less public submissions we've made over the last century, but I still have hope we can turn it around.
Software may be a bad example given we're the biggest digital pirates on the planet
Australia? We couldn't possibly be. imma have to demand evidence.
American social media movies sports etc is a soft power tool. They lose more by cutting us off than we do.
Their are 3 countries with rare earth minerals China, Australia, and greenland. Australian companies own most of the greenlandian rare earth mines plus I doubt Greenland is feeling inclined to help America take their resources.
Most of out trade is with China so us cutting us off has very little impact on our trade. We are in a highly advantageous strategic position as we are the only land mass in the area. The us needs military bases in Australia to mai twin their killchains. The us bases on our soil are critical for all us warfare in the middle east (Israel, Afghanistan, Iran, etc).
The us government literally couped our government when their bases on OUR land where threatened (google our man kurr).
Yes they can fuck us. But we can fuck em back wayyy harder.
Their are 3 countries with rare earth minerals
There are more, and I don't know any specific REM primarily in those three countries. But yeah, they're three of the more important ones, alongside USA, India, Brazil, Russia and Paraguay.
Most of out trade is with China so us cutting us off has very little impact on our trade.
I think 'very little' is exaggerating (apparently 11% of imports and 5% of exports), but yep, we have other options if push comes to shove.
+1 for the soft power tools being their benefit rather than ours. +1 for us hosting critical intel bases.
Despite their name there are rare earth mineral deposits in many countries. Most rare earth metals were discovered in Scandinavia leading to elements like, well Scandium. Economically extracting those deposits is another question but we seem pretty good at digging.
You know I was thinking that rents have been climbing throughout the whole country. Maybe the government needs to take into account that Trump and his cronies are out there ratcheting up tensions internationally and posturing as bullies on a global stage, then apply a small rent increase on US bases on our soil. A lazy hundred billion or so for Pine Gap should cover a lot of trade shortfall and somewhat compensate for the extra risk we are shouldering. When Trump calls to posture about it tell him we will increase troops on the border to prevent fentanyl and crack down on the cartels, then offer him the same price and watch him Art of the Deal™ that into a negotiating victory for himself.