Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The silly minister interjects and says he will ask Malcolm. I think that your own Prime Minister and Mr Garrett enjoy even greater wealth. But I congratulate them on that; I am not envious about Mr Rudd’s wealth or Mr Garrett’s wealth, unlike those opposite, who seem to be envious of Mr Turnbull’s wealth. I do not know why the Labor Party have this inbuilt jealousy, this chip on their shoulder. They cannot bear to think that somebody might have some wealth. But when they sit on the Labor side they conveniently forget that Messrs Garrett and Rudd have so much money.

In his rant, Senator Cameron referred to Audis as well. Hello! Under the amendment that was sponsored by the government and which we are discussing, guess which brand of motor vehicle is going to get the greatest exemptions: the Audis. The car that he ranted and raved about is exactly the one that is going to get the greatest benefit out of this government sponsored amendment. The poor gentleman does not even understand his own government’s legislation and the deal that has been done with the Greens, and yet he comes in here, trips himself up and, quite frankly, displays for all to see and hear his gross ignorance.

We are also told that somehow higher taxes on motor vehicles support the motor vehicle industry. Not even the AMWU, his former union, is making that assertion. Nobody is making that assertion. It is going to hurt the car industry—no ifs, no buts. There were four Australian car manufacturers when the Howard government left office; there are now only three. That was the great stewardship of Mr Carr. In fairness, it would have happened irrespective of who was in government, and that is why the pathetic blame game that Senator Cameron sought to engage is so inappropriate and irrelevant.

It was asserted that we had done nothing for the Australian car industry. If Senator Cameron had bothered to read the Bracks review, which was commissioned by his own government, he would have found that the ACIS was seen by car manufacturers as the most beneficial scheme that had come their way in a very long time. I am very proud that it was our government that implemented that scheme. It helped preserve and save many Australian jobs. It allowed the car industry to adjust to world pressures. But in ranting and raving about these international car companies—these multinationals—and how they can easily afford to pay tax, Senator Cameron overlooked the $35 million gift and photo opportunity for the most profitable car company in the world, Toyota. Once again, commentary on that was completely absent from Senator Cameron’s contribution.

I would be delighted if the minister could answer for us the questions that I asked previously. Also, how many Rolls Royces, Maseratis, Lamborghinis are sold in Australia in comparison to cars such as the Holden Statesman, the Toyota Orion, the Fords and others that are in the luxury car bracket as well? Has the government modelled the impact of this measure on the Australian car industry? Has the Australian government consulted with the car industry, let alone with the unions, about this measure? What will its amendment cost each year? How many models will be exempted, what will they be and how many of each of those models are sold each year? Once we start getting some answers, we might be able to progress the debate.