Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer. I refer to reports in the Australian Financial Review today detailing the contents of a private meeting between the Treasurer and Toyota's Mr Yasuda in Sydney on 3 December, attributed to 'sources familiar with the meeting'. I also refer to the confirmation of this report by the Treasurer on 3AW radio this morning. Is it this government's practice to not only politically disclose private conversations with major companies but also, clearly, misrepresent them in a blatant attempt to blame workers for the government's own policy failures?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will be answering this question on behalf of the government.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence on my left, we will proceed.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's be perfectly clear: nobody on this side has ever blamed the workers for the demise of jobs.

Opposition senators interjecting—

What we have sought to do on a regular basis, like Paul Keating, like the former Labor Prime Minister—

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just in case honourable senators opposite did not hear, let me repeat: the government has never blamed the workers for the loss of jobs in the auto sector. What we have done is, like the former Labor Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating, who blamed the union bosses in the AMWU for the loss of 100,000 manufacturing jobs—not what we on the coalition side say, but what a former Labor Prime Minister said about the trade union bosses in the AMWU, so let's be very clear that politically we have a bipartisan ticket—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order relating to relevance. In terms of the specific question asked by Senator Carr, I would ask the minister if it is possible that we could get back to that.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order, the question specifically addressed the issue, alleging that the government had blamed workers, and I am debunking that, and absolutely so.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is debating the issue—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order, on both sides! There is no point of order. The minister still has 58 seconds remaining.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 31 October 2013, Toyota issued a media release saying they needed to take 'urgent action' in relation to their workplace agreement to ensure the future viability of their operation in this country. They said:

… the proposed variation is needed if Toyota is to achieve its targets.

And:

… we need to modernise our work practices.

That is what Toyota said on the 31st.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The question was in relation to a meeting between the Treasurer and Toyota on 3 December—

Government senators interjecting—

The point of order is relevance. And it was in relation to the confirmation of the report in the Financial Review today by the Treasurer on radio. It was not in relation to an October press release. It was a specific question in relation to the Treasurer's confirmation today and the Treasurer's report on the front page of the Financial Review. I would ask you to ask the Leader of the Government in the Senate, who has taken this question in lieu of the minister representing the Treasurer, to return to the question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has 28 seconds remaining. I remind the minister of the question.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So it would not be inconsistent with Toyota's position if they repeated that which they had said on 31 October in a media release in a discussion in December, given that Toyota had made no decision to close in December. So, of course, Toyota would not have blamed the union for anything in December. (Time expired)

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I would refer the Leader of the Government in the Senate to Toyota's strongly worded and, I would suggest to you, unprecedented statement today repudiating the Treasurer's version of events:

Toyota Australia has never blamed the union for its decision to close its manufacturing operations by the end of 2017, neither publicly or in private discussions with any stakeholders.

How can—and this is the crux of the issue, Minister—any company have confidence— (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With all the hyperventilation by the senator opposite, he did not even get his question out. But I will try and get to the crux of what I think he was doing and do him a favour. The fact that Toyota Australia has never blamed the union is not disputed.

But, of course, in a discussion in December last year Toyota had not made its decision to close its manufacturing operations, so how could they have in December blamed something for something they had not even decided? I see the hyperventilation of those opposite, seeking to deal with a matter on which, when this former minister presided over the demise of Mitsubishi and Ford, we took a principled bipartisan approach, acknowledging the difficulties this sector was in. We are now dealing with a mess left by Labor.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given the Treasurer's false comments today and Mr Abbott's false claims about the workers' conditions at SPC, does this not just confirm a pattern of deceit by this government, which refuses to take responsibility and blames workers and companies for its failures?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The short answer is 'no'. In the event that—somehow, bizarrely and in a most convoluted manner—we are to blame the coalition for the closure of Holden and Toyota—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So you should!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So we should? Should we then blame Labor for the closure of Mitsubishi and Ford?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, because—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'No'! I love it! You've got to love him, don't you! You've got to love him: Labor—good, Liberal—bad! The same thing happening under the Labor Party is to be praised as something good; the same situation under us is supposedly to be condemned!

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Another own goal!

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! On both sides!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I just remind those opposite that from November 2007 to August 2013 employment in manufacturing alone fell by 127,600—or 12.1 per cent in trend terms—the largest fall of any of the 19 broad industries, whilst Senator Carr was— (Time expired)