Automotive Industry

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Automotive Transformation. Can the minister please advise whether last night's federal budget does enough to help the automotive manufacturing transition?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:36): I thank the honourable member for his question and his ongoing interest in this area. I know in his former life he represented workers that worked along the automotive supply chain, very ably. The simple question is: did it do enough for auto? No, not really, not really at all. I know we had a question yesterday from the Leader of the Opposition in this place. I have to say, the Hon. David Ridgway must be the only shadow minister in Australia who thinks it's a good idea for a liberal shadow to be talking about automotive in this country given what the Liberal Party has done.

The closure of Holden is rapidly approaching as a direct result, as this chamber heard yesterday, of the Liberal government chasing them out. Yesterday, I talked about the fact that Australia is currently only one of 13 countries in the world that have the capacity to make a car from start to finish. We have those high-level technical and advanced manufacturing capabilities to do that. In doing so we made them well. As I said yesterday, there is a myth that is perpetrated that it was too expensive to make them here or that we could not make them well. We know the form of the Libs. They wouldn't trust us to make a canoe, let alone something like a car. They don't believe we have the capabilities.

Here is a study that backs that up. In 2011, there was study that looked at the direct budgetary support for auto industries around the world. That study, in 2011, estimated the direct budgetary support in Australia to be $US18 per capita per year. In the UK it was $28; in Germany $90; in Canada $96; in France $147; and over $200 in the US. So, this notion that it was too expensive and that the federal government was in some way correct to withdraw their funding for the Australian auto industry is an absolute lie.

For South Australia, last night's budget was a complete and utter failure, not just for the automotive industry but in many other areas. Sure, the Hon. David Ridgway proudly got up and talked about $100 million for an advanced manufacturing fund, none of which is necessarily earmarked specifically for South Australia. We still don't know the details—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: We still have no idea of the details, absolutely no idea. With what the federal Liberal government thinks of South Australia, there is reason to be worried about what we will get. We talked yesterday about the money that should be available for South Australia and Victoria, the $800 million in the Automotive Transformation Scheme that is going to be pocketed as a saving even though it should have gone to helping South Australia and Victoria transition from the industry that the federal Liberals decided to close down. It is not just in the auto industry. We have been completely and utterly overlooked in South Australia by the federal government.

We have been completely overlooked. There was $70 billion for new infrastructure projects, $70 billion in new money for infrastructure projects, and how much did South Australia get? Nothing, not a new cent; not one cent of new money. Not one single cent of new money. Instead, we got some re-announcements. We got some re-announcements of already committed money, but not a single cent in South Australia from the $70 billion, not a single cent.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: You are such a whinger.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The Hon. Michelle Lensink interjects that we are such a whinger.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: We are standing up for South Australia, and she is calling us a whinger.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Minister, sit down.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Malinauskas, desist. The honourable Leader of the Opposition, desist. First of all, do not bite, react, or answer interjections from the other side—or even on your own side. Just answer the question.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, Mr President. I will be quick and finish up. There was not a single cent of new money for South Australian infrastructure in the federal budget, not a single cent. We look at what some other states got. Some of the examples from other states include $5.3 billion to New South Wales for a new airport, $1 billion for rail in Victoria, $1.6 billion to WA for things they didn't even ask for or hadn't even put in a business case or plan for and almost $1 billion for road projects in Queensland.

For South Australia there was zero—zero dollars of new money. In the media we are seeing questions like, 'Why does Malcolm Turnbull hate South Australia?' It's not just us saying it. It's not just us saying this today. We have seen the Civil Contractors Federation of South Australia saying things like:

Federal Treasurer Morrison has missed a golden opportunity to revive SA and set the state up for the future by investing in productive infrastructure…Less than a year out from a state election, last night’s budget could well come back to haunt the SA Liberal Opposition.

'Could well come back to haunt the SA Liberal opposition': this is from the Civil Contractors Federation. And other groups are saying this. The Freight Council talked about the funding to other states for other projects and noted that there is not a single thing for South Australia, not a single bit of new money. We have seen the erstwhile Leader of the Opposition, the member for Dunstan, the Hon. Steven Marshall, today talking about this. He was asked about this today.

He was asked: did South Australia get its fair share? Do you know what he said? He said nothing. He could not answer that question. He was asked five or six times if South Australia got its fair share, and do you know how he responded? He would not answer it; he would not answer whether it got its fair share because he knows it didn't, but he doesn't want to upset the man in the top hat in Canberra.

It is a disgrace how the Liberal South Australian opposition doesn't stick up for South Australia. I will finish up with a quote. This was a direct quote from the member for Dunstan's press conference when he was asked what should be done about South Australia missing out so badly. This is the quote:

I tell you, the best guarantee for more money coming into South Australia is a hard-working Labor government which puts the interests of South Australia first.

Mr President, 'Vote Labor', as he once said.