Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to the evidence given by one of his officials in estimates today that the Treasurer’s office had made two representations on behalf of car dealers to OzCar, the taxpayer funded special purpose vehicle, which provides finance to car dealers and which is administered by the Treasury. Has the Treasurer or his office, or anyone on his behalf, made representations to OzCar on behalf of Ipswich Central Motors, John Grant Motors or any other car dealership owned or associated with John Grant?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They have given up on the economy! It is true that the government established a special purpose vehicle to deal with problems in the financing of car dealerships. As a consequence of that, there have been numerous representations made to members of parliament from car dealers right around the country—numerous representations which have been forwarded on to my office and in turn forwarded on to the responsible officials in the Treasury for consideration. There is nothing abnormal about that. I know that the member for Riverina, for example, made some representations to my office about car dealers in her electorate. There have been numerous others, and I am sure that we can compile a list. It is an entirely normal thing that members of parliament or car dealers would contact the Treasury, which is establishing and putting in place this vehicle.

It is the case that Mr Grant made representations to my office, and he was referred on to the SPV, just like everybody else. I have no idea what the outcome of that was. But it is entirely normal that, in circumstances where car dealers right around this country were potentially going to the wall, car dealers would have been ringing members of parliament, including the Treasurer’s office, asking how they could make contact with this organisation in the Treasury establishing the vehicle. That is the situation—an entirely normal situation, as the Treasury officials have reported in estimates today.