Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Sustainable Development and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. I refer the Treasurer to his statement in this House on 4 June, when he said that Mr Grant ‘was referred on to the SPV, just like everybody else’ and to his citing of a case, referred by me, to back up this claim. When I contacted the Treasurer’s department for assistance about a Dunkley car dealer, Cambur Motors, did the Treasurer have a phone conversation with the dealer from my electorate and was he kept personally informed, in a detailed and ongoing way, about the progress of this case of my constituent?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will ask my office to look into this matter.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The question has been asked and the Treasurer is responding.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The process is that these come through in a variety of ways. They come through the office, they go directly to the Treasury—they go through in a variety of ways and I follow these things up. I am happy to get back to the member to establish the facts of the case. But it is the case that there needs to be a demonstration of eligibility in some respects for the dealership, their financial viability and so on. These are all things that impact on the capacity of someone to be recommended, because at the end of the day a business does need to be financially viable, financially viable to be taken on by an existing financier or financially viable to be eligible for OzCar, once it is fully operational. Of course it is the case that not all dealerships do meet that requirement and there will be some that will not be able to be assisted because they do not meet the requirements. But I will seek further information on that case as well. Of course Mr Delaney has made the point today that he has been very happy, as a representative industry organisation, with the degree of response that has come from the Treasury to his membership. I am not sure whether those organisations are members of the MTAA or not. It may well be that there are some that have not been catered for properly. I am happy to look into it and I will.