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

Members of this government, the Treasurer and the industry minister, have been in regular discussions with Toyota. I met with the chief of Toyota Australia in December last year and I assured him that assistance would be available to Toyota on the same basis as it had been available in times past. I gave him that assurance. I told him that, as far as this government was concerned, we wanted manufacturing to continue in this country. I did meet with both Mr Max Yasuda and more senior officers of Toyota yesterday and I did ask them if there was anything that we in government could do to cause this decision to be reconsidered? I regret to announce this to the House, but they said that they had carefully considered the economics of manufacturing in Australia, the costs of manufacturing in Australia, the conditions of motor manufacturing in Australia and their decision was final.

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