With the need for a stronger industrial base and manufacturing sector and the discovery of large oil reserves in the outback, the Reich recently announced an overall plan to reconstruct the way the economy runs. The government had recently denationalized its food and mining industries, enabling the government to shift its spending on developing industrial manufacturing corporations. In a heated session in the Reich Legislature House, 262-212, voted for a bill for the creation of special industrial complexes(SIC), areas for trade with other countries at lower tariffs and notably a new area for investment in manufacturing and technology. The bill also included government incentives to foreign manufacturing corps to establish manufacturing sectors in Bendicion with hopes of manufacturing to constitute 40% of its economy.
The government also took notice to subsidize the local arms manufacturing companies, granting $E11BM Dolleuros worth of investment to ACHEUS Arms Group(formerly known as Thales Inc), a public corporation under government supervision. Private shipbuilding corp, BAE Systems Australia, was also given a lofty sum of $E20B dolleuros to its production lines and its R&D projects.The deals came after the recent announcement of Orbanis to create a loose union in the Pacific sparked a lot of controversy in Bendicion and the political climate of the region.
Several rallies occurred following the SIC bill and announcement of multiple government subsidies to public and private corps. Protesters took to the the streets to show their belief that the government was leaning to a more capitalist way and losing the ideals of socialist society, also stating that taxes were to be put into social welfare, education and the likes and not on needless government ventures. A massive riot occurred in Grand Kaliptzy Bendianii- Wurzen District when several protesters took over a fire truck drove it to the district police headquarters gate. More than 18 people were arrested for the acts of violence.
In other news, the government recently declared the opening of its first oil-pumping station, ZA-01, in the Cooper Basin, deep in outback Australia.The pump station is expected to produce 4000-5000 barrels of oil per day at maximum capacity. This is just the first of 12 expected pumping stations to be established in the Cooper Basin. The Cooper Basin Authority was also established after the oil reserve's discovery to monitor all actions.