SYDNEY - It is conceivable that Newcastle might one day import coal when stocks begin to run out.
Eskimos may even resort to buying a little ice if global warming continues apace ... but Australia importing didgeridoos? It is the latest case of cheap overseas labour costs trumping the Australian market, no matter how sacred the product.
The impending Sydney Olympics are expected to be a giant money-spinner for Australian companies contracted to produce games clothes and memorabilia.
It is such a plum ride that a few overseas ventures have dabbled in a little illegal production. One was snapped when its line of T-shirts proclaimed "Sidney 2000 - Be part of it."
Now it seems Australia is becoming flooded with cheap didgeridoos made in China and Taiwan in anticipation of a sharp rise in demand for Aboriginal souvenirs during the games.
With spending by overseas tourists each year totalling around $A1.7 billion ($2.13 billion) on souvenirs, it means traditional Aboriginal communities who make the instrument are losing a hefty chunk of their income.
It seems it is not just Australian goods but also services - that is, jobs - being snapped up by foreigners.
Indian workers, using Australian names and accents, have been trained to replace sacked Sydney call centre employees in a deal which has raised the hackles of trade unionists.
They will take calls from thousands of unwitting Australian customers of companies as large as Grace Brothers and Myers, who will not realise their queries have been routed through New Delhi.
Commercial finance company GE Capital reportedly plans to sack or relocate more than 140 Australian workers to save costs.
GE Capital confirmed that the new trainees had already been familiarised with Australia. The Indian workers have been brought out in groups of 20 or 30 for several weeks each before returning to India to train others how to sound like Australians.
The familiarisation process could best be described as dinkum. As well as watching true-blue Australian movie The Castle, they have been taken to Australian Rules matches and treated to barbecues.
GE Capital said the Indians were given Anglo names, including David, Bruce and Kevin, so callers did not have to be concerned with hard-to-pronounce Indian names.
The Australian Services Union claims that the new names appear to be constructed from first and last names of the sacked employees. Spokesman Martin Foley said the company's methods were "culturally manipulative." - NZPA
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