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

Yes, very sadly. He is the only South Australian minister in the Abbott cabinet. Where was he? Why wasn't he standing up for South Australia?

We know that the workers themselves understood the severity of this problem. They made concessions. John Camillo, who is a tremendous trade union leader, ensured that the workers at the Holden factory in South Australia made some concessions. They were prepared to make concessions. Minister Macfarlane was prepared to make concessions. The opposition were prepared to back the government on this. There could have been a bipartisan position, but the government dropped the ball. It has been under their watch that that great Australian icon has announced it is closing down. I think it is a tragedy that this has occurred. It was avoidable. We could have saved this company. We could have continued to manufacture in this country. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.