Automotive Industry

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:54): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Automotive Transformation a question regarding jobs in the northern areas. Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: Last week, I heard what I could only describe as an untrue public statement by the minister, where he on, I think, ABC radio said that Holden was closing because of the Hon. Mr Turnbull and the Hon. Mr Abbott. Under the code of conduct of ministers of the Crown, I understood that they had to tell the truth and the facts.

Further to that, during that same week on the steps of Parliament House were some hardworking union officials, with the very good, hardworking member for Napier, with their fists up and their GMH uniforms on, getting ready to come in and see the Premier because they were disgusted with the lack of outcome through automotive transformation from not the federal government but from this state government. I was very interested to see the member for Napier there supporting them. My questions therefore to the minister are:

1. Given the statements by GMH executive, given the fact that we had the highest power costs for manufacturing in the Western world, indeed in the world, does the minister now apologise for misleading the South Australian community by saying that the Prime Minister and a former prime minister closed Holden? Does he apologise and admit that they did not close Holden?

2. How many jobs has the government, under this minister's leadership, created in automotive transformation?

3. How much state government money has been put in?

4. Does the minister agree with those union officials from GMH that they were very much within their rights, on behalf of the northern suburbs people needing jobs, to protest and come in and meet with the Premier to request more action?

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) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I know that if minister Hunter was here and received a similar question he would talk about the nonsensical nature of the question and the falsehoods in it. They are some of the more ridiculous statements from a former Liberal minister and a would-be failed senator about these sorts of things.

The first question was about the closure of Holden. People were negotiating before the last election to keep Holden's open. There is no doubt in anyone's mind, from those who were there at the time, that had Labor won that federal election Holden would still be going. It was a withdrawal of direct support by Malcolm Turnbull and Joe Hockey for the auto industry.

We discussed as recently as half an hour ago just how well, how efficiently and how effectively we made cars in South Australia. We competed on the world stage at a very modest cost. But, no, that wasn't good enough for the ideology of the Hon. Robert Brokenshire's former mates. His former party hates supporting industry, hates supporting workers, and they made a very deliberate decision to withdraw funding for the automotive industry around Australia. Even worse, they did not consider at all what they would put in place to support those jurisdictions.

I completely and utterly refute the nonsensical question from the Hon. Robert Brokenshire. Holden would still be going if Labor had anything to do with it. Holden would still be going. He asked about automotive workers. Both the Premier and myself regularly meet with automotive workers, regularly meet on the factory floors with supply chain workers and regularly meet with their representatives and management about what is happening—regularly meet.

The Hon. Rob Brokenshire wanted to know what money we were putting in. Righteo! As soon as Holden announced it was going, the state government announced a $60 million jobs plan package. Last year, we put in more: we put another $24 million into the Northern Economic Plan, and just last budget we announced a jobs accelerator program of $109 million—a massive injection into the South Australian economy that will no doubt greatly support the north. I think there was a fourth question. I can't remember what it was, but if the Hon. Robert Brokenshire wants to ask me as a supplementary, I might answer it.