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

I had the great privilege this morning of meeting people who work in the car industry, and they are present in the gallery now. I welcome them to this parliament. They came to parliament to talk about the future of their industry and its importance to the Australian economy. There is a lot of nonsense talked about the car industry in the public domain, some of it in the pages of our newspapers and some of it in this parliament. There is a lot of nonsense suggesting that the car industry is somehow part of our past. It needs to be part of our future. The member for Wakefield, who asked me this question, knows that very well from his local experience in his electorate, where car marking is very important.

Australians want to see us continue to make cars. They want to see the iconic brands like Holden and Ford still in this nation. In order for that to happen, we need to recognise that the car industry is at the forefront of innovation. The car industry is a high-productivity, high-skill industry. It needs to compete in the world and with the dollar as strong as it is at the moment that is a very difficult thing to do. It needs government to work in partnership with the industry to make sure not that there is no change—because we cannot guarantee no change and we cannot guarantee every job, either—but that we are a country that still makes cars. I am determined to do that, not only because 46,000 Australians rely on the car industry for their employment but because, when you go through the supply chain, around 200,000 Australians rely on that industry. When you look more broadly, a million Australians work in manufacturing, and what is done in the car industry is important to manufacturing around the nation. Whether it is technology such as robotics going elsewhere or whether it is skill sets going elsewhere, this industry is important to the jobs of a million Australians.

Yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition was channelling Dirty Harry. Perhaps he should recognise today that Clint Eastwood, who gave Dirty Harry to the world, is out there supporting the American car industry. What the Leader of the Opposition should be saying—

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