Automotive Industry

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation a question regarding the motor industry.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: The new minister has shown that he may be one of the best ministers in this government, but he is slipping into—

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: Point of order: misleading the house!

The PRESIDENT: I am very tempted to actually uphold that, but, the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, continue.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: He is rapidly slipping into the spin and rhetoric of other ministers. Therefore, I ask the minister: based on the fact that whether it was the previous Australian managing director of GMH or whether it was a generational Ford dealer from the Mid North that recently told me that Ford had intended to leave Australia five years ago, and given the fact that it was this minister's government that was at the helm when Mitsubishi left Tonsley Park, can the minister stop the spin and give the scientific evidence to this parliament as to why he continues to say that it is the Abbott government's fault that GMH have left South Australia?

I have been trying to examine the facts behind this and the evidence points to the fact that they were leaving no matter who was in government and that one of the problems in South Australia was the high cost of doing business. Does the minister therefore agree that those motor industry companies were leaving Australia in any case, possibly planned five years ago, and does he also agree that part of the reason why they accelerated their decision for GMH to leave Elizabeth in South Australia was the high cost of water, high cost of utilities, and the high cost of doing business in South Australia, which made them uncompetitive? What are the true answers?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his important question. It is a very brave question from a very brave member who introduced the emergency services levy to South Australia. That was brave as well. I just don't accept really anything that the honourable member said.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: It was a question, actually.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Well, if what he said is complete rubbish, then it follows that the question is nonsensical. The fact of the matter was there was an agreement between Holden and the then Labor government to stay in Australia producing cars in return for a level of support. When the new government was elected, it was apparent that support would not be met, and the day after the Treasurer dared Holden to leave the country, Holden left the country. They are the facts.