House debates
Thursday, 10 November 2016
Questions without Notice
Automotive Industry
2:50 pm
Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Prime Minister. This morning when asked about the policies the government has put in place that saw auto jobs lost in South Australia, the Deputy Prime Minister said, 'There are not many car plants in National Party seats.' Who will be looking after our people? Why should South Australian workers trust the Prime Minister with their jobs when his own deputy admits that he does not care? Isn't it the case that the divisions in this government mean that the Prime Minister is focused on only one job: his own?
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
It is remarkable to have another South Australian member giving us the opportunity to talk about the way the Labor Party abandoned the workers in South Australia,—
Mr Champion interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
to talk about the way in which the Labor Party abandoned the most advanced manufacturing projects in South Australia. Defence industries are at the very cutting edge of technology.
Ms Kate Ellis interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
They are at the very cutting edge of technology. It is the most advanced manufacturing. And everyone understands this except for the Labor Party. What did they do—
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Wakefield is rising on a point of order. I need to point out to him first that he is lucky to be rising on a point of order, given that he has been interjecting through the answer and he has been warned. I will hear his point of order, and then I will not hear him again for the rest of the answer.
Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The point of order is on relevance. I was talking about the car industry. The Prime Minister seems unable to talk about that industry.
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The member for Wakefield will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is in order.
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The honourable member is very well aware of the decisions taken by international car makers during the time of the Labor government. What about Mitsubishi? What about Ford? We understand that. The reality is that Australia's greatest opportunity is in advanced manufacturing. The reality is that the most advanced manufacturing is in the defence sector.
Ms Henderson interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The reality is that it was the Labor Party that abandoned the workers at Osborne, that abandoned the defence industry. Six years and nothing was done; could not even make a decision—a failure. I can hear the honourable member who had a ministerial role in those days, before his negative gearing incident. He will remember very well: nothing done. It was a perfect zero.
Mr Feeney interjecting—
Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
How many ships did the Labor Party commission in six years? None—a very simple number to remember—absolutely nothing done. And what that meant was the abandonment of those workers, the abandonment of those skills. And the challenge the Minister for Defence Industry has now, of course, is to maintain the workforce as it is in Osborne and to build up those skills to prepare to build nine future frigates, 12 offshore patrol vessels, 12 future submarines. This is an enormous project, so much of it being done in South Australia, and we hear the hypocrisy from Labor Party members whose own party abandoned their state. We are standing up for advanced manufacturing, for jobs in advanced manufacturing, for our defence industry, securing Australia with the capabilities the ADF needs and securing our future economy with the skills we need, with the technology we need for a prosperous nation in the 21st century.
Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—
Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
On interjections, I want to caution the Second Deputy Speaker, for obvious reasons.