Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Abetz, representing the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's statement as opposition leader in 2011:

I think any government which makes it harder to manufacture cars is making it harder for us to continue to be a first world economy …

Isn't it the case that removing $500 million from the Automotive Transformation Scheme makes it harder to manufacture cars in Australia? Isn't it the case that the Prime Minister's 14 December point-blank refusal to offer any financial assistance to Toyota makes it harder to manufacture cars in Australia? Isn't it the case that this government has thrown the automotive industry and Australia's advanced manufacturing to the scrap heap?