Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House condemns the Abbott government for its failure to protect Australian jobs in the automotive and manufacturing sectors.

This motion needs to be debated in this House, because today we have seen a very difficult and terrible decision for 3,000 workers in this country. But it is not just those 3,000 workers. As a result of the decision by Holden today we will see a multiplier effect on job losses throughout the automotive sector and other sectors of our economy.

What we have also seen, not only today but as a result of the inaction by the government this week, is a government that is not interested in ensuring that an iconic company like Holden stays in this country. That is an absolute shame.

Yesterday in this place we saw the Treasurer stand up and effectively goad General Motors-Holden into leaving Australia. He effectively said that if you do not make a decision you might as well get out. That was the impact and the import of what he said yesterday in this place. Unfortunately for that company and the workers and their families the Treasurer has had his way.

Also, before the decision that was taken today, and even well before the comments made by the Treasurer yesterday, we have seen a fight going on within the government about how they can stop taxpayers' money from in any way providing support for this important sector of our economy. Instead of them using their energy and their industry to support these workers and the company, we have seen them fighting each other to see if they can drag this company out of Australia. They should hold their heads in collective shame over their inability to look after Holden.

As a result, almost 3,000 workers in this country go to Christmas with great uncertainty. There is nothing worse for a family than not having secure employment. There is nothing worse, particularly at this time of the year, than not having any sense of security about income for your household—having sufficient money to pay for food, rent and the mortgage and to look after your kids. These are the real issues that are being discussed around kitchen tables all over the country.

Instead, we have this ideological battle within the government about whether taxpayers' money should be used in any way to support this industry. We should have seen this coming, because before the election they made it very clear that they were going to rip a half a billion dollars out of the automotive sector. That was the first thing we saw. The second thing we saw was the Treasurer's own comments—he was obviously very weak on GrainCorp, but wanted to toughen up when it came to this issue. So, what does he do? He says: 'Enough is enough. We do not have to put any extra dollars in.'

Let us look at the facts here. Of course we should be very careful with taxpayers' money. But let us look at the economic effects of investment. This company directly and indirectly employs a quarter of a million Australians. That is the first thing. The second thing is that at the very least there is about a nine-fold return for every dollar invested by taxpayers. In the case of this company it could be argued that it is up to 18 times higher, as a result. So this is not just providing support for support's sake; it is ensuring that we provide sufficient support for the company. Unfortunately the government has abjectly failed in that regard. Time and time again we have had ministers on the other side making it clear they want to see an end to that support.

What are we to say to those workers, and indeed other workers in other companies, who will want to see their federal government provide support for them in times of trouble? We would all recall that for the last four years we had the now Prime Minister, the then Leader of the Opposition, going around the country, visiting ever workplace that would have him, talking about his concern for Australian workers.

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