Matt Williams (Hindmarsh, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield distributed this to his electorate, and I quote:

I have secured guaranteed support for GM Holden, Elizabeth, ensuring production until 2022.

So I am sure the member for Wakefield must be dismayed at the reports that Holden is now contemplating its future in South Australia. I have met many suppliers—good, honest workers—in my electorate in South Australia. I have been out to Holden with the member for Wakefield. We had a tour. We met the industry bodies and we met the unions. And they have been trying to help, unlike members opposite in this debate.

We are all looking for ways to help this industry and to build our manufacturing industry together. We are co-investing. The member for Hotham and also the member for Makin failed to acknowledge this. We are investing $1 billion in this industry, as said previously by the Treasurer and the Minister for Industry. Just like the member for Wakefield said, the Labor Party should be opposing the carbon tax. They should be taking your advice, Member for Wakefield. We all know that it is a direct tax that drives up the costs of manufacturing cars by $400.

After six years of Labor, the public are crying out for relief on taxes. We need to remove the carbon tax—a point we have made endlessly. We have moved quickly in government to support the automotive industry. We have introduced legislation to remove the carbon tax, we have scrapped Labor's $1.8 billion fringe benefits tax and we have asked the Productivity Commission to look at the industry as a whole. We want this to work. I know the minister wants this to work and for Holden workers to have a future. We have made our timetable clear from day one and Holden has not raised any concerns about this timetable.

Let me give you a few facts, because the member for Makin referred to the facts. Under the previous Labor government, Australia lost one manufacturing job every 19 minutes. When Labor took office, vehicle production was 335,000. When they left, it was down to 221,000. We had Mitsubishi go, we had Ford close. We had 200 businesses in the supply chain when Labor took office. When they left, guess how many there were? Fewer than 150.

The reality is that things went downhill under Labor's watch and they know it. The reality with Holden is that their production has gone down, their exports have dropped and that happened under Labor's watch. And what about the member for Port Adelaide and the other Labor members? Where have they been during this debate? The member for Port Adelaide should do his good friend the South Australian Premier a favour by removing the carbon tax. But no. Where is he? Nowhere to be seen. This highlights the challenge. We need to all work together, remove the carbon tax and help the industry. It is up to those opposite.

See this speech in context