Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

We have just heard 10 minutes of confected rage by the Leader of the Opposition. Let me read this quote:

Our nation is facing an historic shift the like of which we have not seen in two generations. That does not mean that change will be easy or swift. These are incredibly challenging times.

That was Senator Kim Carr in 2011, then Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. The Labor Party in opposition are pretending they knew nothing about this in government, that this has all happened since our government was elected. Nothing could be further from the truth. The seeds of what has happened in the last four months were sown well and truly by the previous government. Why are we taking a considered, careful and long-term approach to the solution? It is because we want a solution that is sustainable. We want to protect jobs in the long term. We do not want bandaids, which were so prevalent from the previous government. They simply get ripped off three, six or nine months down the track. How about a couple of examples.

In 2012, then Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced $34 million for Ford, saying it would create 300 new jobs. What happened? Three-hundred and thirty jobs were lost at Ford inside eight months. Is that a constructive, long-term solution or is that chequebook diplomacy where you run down the street, throw as much money as you can at the problem knowing that it will not solve anything? The then Prime Minister did it again and announced $215 million for Holden, saying it would secure its future in Australia until 2022. Within months, 670 jobs were gone.

This is a problem that needs to be solved. It does not need to be politicised. The workers who are going to lose their jobs in these factories do not need to be frightened by words like 'catastrophe'. They need a policy, a long-term solution. They need to know that the government will help them transition from an industry which has become a commodity industry, arguably one of the most competitive industries in the world, certainly an industry which is going through enormous restructure wherever you go. We are trying to compete in a world market. Surely no-one on that side will deny that. Surely no-one will deny that the Australian car market is the most diverse car market in the world. No-one will deny that. No-one on the other side will deny that if we are to have a future for an industry in Australia, we need to export. Rather than running around throwing $34 million cheques here and $215 million cheques there, only to see it all unravel, our government have a very careful and considered approach to this issue and we have had it since day one.

From day one, I set out to put in place a policy for the car industry, but they had already made their decision. We know now, because the GM executive said it at the Detroit motor show when he said that no amount of money would keep Holden in Australia—no amount of money. So the Labor Party says, 'Just throw more at them and more at them.' It is taxpayers' money that has to be borrowed, because we are so far in debt and deficit thanks to the economic mismanagement of the previous government. It is taxpayers' money that has to be borrowed. There has to be a solution, not a six- or eight-month fix, not a 24-hour news cycle fix, not a bucket of money thrown in—to find that 330 jobs have evaporated.

We sat down and talked with industry generally. We looked at where the trends were. I was in South Australia last week talking with industries which are world leaders in their field, industries like Redarc that set out to produce the best battery charger in the world and do it, industries that set out to build the best high-frequency radios in the world and do it, industries that set out to build the best metal detectors in the world or the most advanced air conditioning systems in the world and do it.

Yet if you listen to those on the other side of the chamber, the world is over for manufacturing in Australia. Can I assure the workers of Australia that that is simply not the case. That is raw, frightening politics from people who have done nothing for industry in six years except put on bandaids, which are now falling off left, right and centre. No amount of money would have kept Electrolux in Australia. I spoke to the global head of Electrolux. He said, 'We want to move that factory to Thailand and we are going to do it. No amount of money will help.' I said, 'Let's sit down and talk about it.' He said, no, and he had made the decision. The seeds of that closure were sown in the previous government.

The same thing is the case in Gove. Rio Tinto asked for gas and we got them gas. Rio Tinto asked for underwriting of the pipeline and we offered it. Rio Tinto then said, 'We are never going to keep it open.' They had made their decision. Yet those who sit opposite now cry and frighten workers in Australia. Rio Tinto had made that decision when those people opposite were in government.

Mr Champion interjecting—

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