Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion of urgency that deals with the issue of the automotive industry. When Prime Minister Abbott was elected on 7 September of this year, he made a very positive and forceful statement that Australia was open for business. When he made that statement, we thought that he was talking about South Australia and, in particular, the automotive industry. What we now find is that he was not talking about South Australia or the automotive industry. In fact, we find a divided government and a divided cabinet on the issue of support for the automotive industry.

I was dumbfounded to hear Senator Ryan talk about the lack of bipartisanship in respect of the automotive industry. There is nothing more bipartisan, certainly from this side of the parliament, than the expected and accepted need to support the automotive industry in this country. We would happily sit down with Prime Minister Abbott and his cabinet today to do whatever it takes to ensure that the automotive industry in this country survives.

I think I heard it right that during question time the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Truss, announced that he had decided to write a letter to Mr Devereux the General Manager of Holden after he gave evidence to the Productivity Commission today. I find it absolutely remarkable that Minister Truss would do that. If Minister Truss is really interested in saving the automotive industry in this country, he should not write a letter to the general manager; he should find out his telephone number, ring him up and say: 'Listen mate, we genuinely want to save the automotive industry in this country. Can we sit down and work out how we do it?' Why hasn't he done that? Why is he writing a letter rather than making a phone call?

Senator Payne interjecting—

If he is serious about it, Senator Payne, he should ring up and say, 'We want to sit down and work out how we save this industry in the interests of manufacturing in this country.'