We’re living through a silent revolution. Across Australia, machines are replacing people — in supermarkets, warehouses, call centres, transport, and even care jobs. While this technological shift promises speed and efficiency, it also reveals cracks in how our economy serves its people.
Let’s talk about automation, lost opportunity, and the role of giant corporations that take more than they give. Let’s talk about the new opportunities we can make for our young people. Let’s talk about community participation.
What Is Workplace Automation?
Automation means using machines or software to do work once done by people. It’s happening everywhere:
- Self-checkouts replacing human cashiers
- Chatbots answering customer service calls
- Autonomous vehicles in mining operations
Even in regional Australia, jobs that once provided entry points for young people — stacking shelves, waiting tables, or answering phones — are disappearing.
What Does It Mean for the Next Generation?
Teenagers and school-leavers are entering a workforce where many of the “starter jobs” are gone. In their place? Robots, kiosks, and algorithms.
This isn’t the first time work has changed:
- The Industrial Revolution pushed people from agriculture into factories.
- The digital boom erased millions of clerical jobs.
- Now, AI and robotics are pushing us into a new era — one that could either empower or exclude.
Here’s the Twist: Who Benefits?
In theory, automation increases productivity, lowers costs, and frees people to do more meaningful work.
But in practice? The big winners are major corporations — especially those who pay little or no tax in Australia. Think:
- Facebook/Meta: Profits from Australian user data, pays tiny amounts in local tax.
- Amazon: Dominates retail while undercutting local businesses.
- Mining giants: Export Australia’s natural wealth, but often dodge full royalties or taxes through loopholes.
These corporations benefit enormously from our infrastructure, workforce, and natural resources — yet contribute comparatively little to public schools, roads, hospitals, or social support.
It’s not just about jobs being automated. It’s about who controls the profits of automation — and who’s left behind.
What Could a Fairer Future Look Like?
A society that puts people before profit can still embrace automation, but it must include:
- Tax reform to ensure global and mining companies pay their fair share
- Universal Basic Income (UBI) to support people through transitions
- Massive reinvestment in education, mental health, community organisations, and innovation projects
- Job guarantees in community sectors that can’t or shouldn’t be automated
Solutions: New Pathways for Young People:
- During their compulsory education adjust to a more suitable curriculum
- Manage school-to-work transition better with community involvement as a means to acquire real-world skills. South Korea has a similiar programme attached to their compulsory military service for those who lack the capacity for military participation. We could assign UBI to our people for helping the SES, food banks, nursing homes, CFA, national parks, etc. We sort of have a weak version of this in place with the JobSeeker obligations, but it’s capacity if very limited.
- Encourage people’s individual pursuits (arts, engineering, cultural, whatever)
- Small and start-up innovation and creative industries supported by public funding
Solutions: What If We Thought Local?
Australia has room to imagine differently. What if:
- Floating eco-villages in Melbourne’s ports, docks, and Yarra River offered affordable living and local jobs? #FloatMelbourne
- Tax revenue from global giants was directed to local entrepreneurship and innovation? This means funding business education and development programmes, and basic and applied sciences.
- We recognised education, healthcare, and community participation as core pillars of a healthy economy? In place of entry level jobs for school leavers, should we encourage participation in the State Emergency Services, sports clubs, food banks, etc?
Rather than chase “growth for growth’s sake,” we could aim for wellbeing, connections to community, and equity.
Final Thought: The Parasitic Problem
The truth is this: a society cannot thrive when its biggest players refuse to pay their share. If automation is inevitable, then the distribution of its benefits must be intentional.
Australia’s sovereignty and future should not be dictated by the balance sheets of offshore corporations. It should be shaped by local communities, workers, educators, and creators — with a tax system that supports them, not undercuts them.
Your Call to Action
- Push for tax justice: Demand your local MP take a stand against tax avoidance.
- Support local businesses: Shop local, pay attention to company practices.
- Push for UBI & community participation programmes: Advocate for systems that value people, not just profit; whilst also providing a meaningful transition opportunity for young people to get workplace skills.
We can embrace automation — but only if we make it work for everyone.
Over the next few weeks on Threads I’ll look for Australian owned businesses that should replace the tax-dodging internationals. For a start, instead of Spotify and Amazon, try Sanity and JB HiFi.