Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I was asked about jobs; I was asked about manufacturing. Consequently, I am giving the view of a number of businesses who would care about jobs. On businesses that deal with manufacturing I would point the member who asked the question in the direction of General Motors Holden. They are a manufacturer and they are in favour of pricing carbon. The member might want to think: why do these very big businesses, including a major manufacturing business, want to price carbon? It is because they know that the world economy is going to change. They know that our economy needs to change. They have prospered so far by innovating, by changing, by making sure that they are in front of world trends. We would not have Holden in this country if it had not been capable of innovating. If it were still making the cars of yesterday, it would be out of business. Telstra would not be a business in this country if it had not innovated. If it had said when the information technology revolution came along, ‘I know what we’ll do, we’ll stick with the fixed line network and we’ll give all of that new technology to someone else,’ Telstra would not be a big business in this country.

Businesses in this country prosper because they look at the future, they respond and they innovate and that is what putting a price on carbon pollution is about: driving innovation. I am an incredible optimist about the dynamism and strength of our business community. I am an incredible optimist about the ability of our nation’s economy to adapt to this challenge. Every lesson from history teaches me that we should be optimistic. The death of Australian manufacturing has been predicted from the days that Bob Hawke as Prime Minister determined to reduce tariffs. Everybody said, ‘That’s it, manufacturing—gone.’

Earlier this week I drove the new Holden Cruze off the production line. Claims about the death of manufacturing were wrong then and they are wrong now. Of course, as we move to this low-pollution, clean energy economy there will be businesses that need assistance in the transition. I understand that and, as we work through the policy of pricing carbon, we will obviously be looking at the needs of Australian businesses.

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