Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Carr, Muir, Xenophon, Madigan and Rice, I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by the first sitting day of November 2015:

The future of Australia’s automotive industry, with particular reference to:

(a) maintaining the capacity for Australia to engage in advanced manufacturing, by ensuring skills and industrial capabilities that have been sustained by the automotive industry are not lost;

(b) reducing Australia’s dependency on commodity exports by diversifying the country’s economic base, noting the importance of advanced manufacturing, including the automotive industry, in this diversification;

(c) the role of all sectors of the automotive industry, including, but not limited to, motor vehicle production, component making, after market manufacturing, engineering, servicing, retail motor trades, other forms of sales support, and the training of apprentices, in supporting an advanced broad based economy;

(d) the special difficulties faced by component makers in the transition to global supply chains and to other forms of manufacturing, especially as a result of the closure announcements made by the motor vehicle producers;

(e) new technologies influencing the automotive industry, both in Australia and internationally, especially new and developing forms of propulsion, such as hydrogen, electric engines and hybrid engines;

(f) new business models for the industry, including employee share models and attracting international venture capital and private investment;

(g) the possible effects of early closure of motor vehicle producers, including risks and consequences for the industry, skills, capabilities and the broader economy, including social consequences, and what policy actions could mitigate or exacerbate these risks and consequences;

(h) the need to synthesise and consolidate the findings, recommendations and knowledge of other reviews and inquiries pertinent to the automotive industry, in order to identify key policy inconsistencies, regulatory burdens and factors for growth and investment;

(i) the importance of long term, stable employment for workers in the automotive industry, and the need for greater access to transitional training and career opportunities; and

(j) any other related matters.