Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the announcement by Toyota yesterday that it would cease making cars in Australia. Why hasn't the Prime Minister outlined the support that his government will provide the 2½ thousand direct employees of Toyota and the hundreds of thousands of workers in the automotive manufacturing industry whose jobs have been lost on the watch of the Abbott government?

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

What the company assured me last night—and I am sure that, if the Leader of the Opposition had met with Toyota last night in this building, he would have had the same assurances—is that the jobs are not going tomorrow. They are not going next week or next month or even next year. These jobs will finish in 2017. I deeply, deeply regret that, but the important thing is to create the conditions in our economy where those workers can move from good jobs to better jobs, and that is exactly what this government will do.

As I said, we are going to get the fundamentals right. We are going to get rid of the carbon tax. We are going to get rid of the mining tax. We are going to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which created $6 billion worth of productivity improvement in this sector. We will support the East West Link, which will create 3,500 jobs in its construction phase. So I ask the Leader of the Opposition what is his position on East West Link. Does the Leader of the Opposition support East West Link? If he supports it, he supports 3,500 jobs. If he does not, he is against job creation in Victoria.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, if questions are to be asked of the opposition then we will be happy to answer them.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not take points of order that are not points of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, the point of order is that members of the executive are not to ask questions. If you are going to allow it then we will be happy to give the answers. Otherwise they should not be allowed to do it.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a good try, shall I say.