Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question because this is a very serious subject. As I have said before and will say again, these are sad times for everyone associated with Holden—the workers, the families of the workers and the communities where the major Holden installations are based.

As members on both sides of the chamber would know, governments of both persuasions have offered very considerable support to the motor industry over the years and certainly this government stood ready and stands ready to continue to offer very significant support to the motor industry. The difficulty is that, as the local MD of Holden, Mike Devereux, made clear on radio today, Holden's difficulties have been building up over many, many years. The truth is, as the Holden spokesman said publicly yesterday, 'It would be wrong to simply attribute their departure—

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