Question Time

Low Emission Vehicle Strategy

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation a question about low emissions and electric buses.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: In 2016-17, the government allocated $2 million in the budget for a trial of low emission and electric bus prototypes. In November last year, it was announced that the Gold Coast based bus manufacturer, Bustech, had been awarded the grant. My question is: why has the grant been awarded to Bustech, a Gold Coast based bus manufacturer, rather than local bus manufacturers?

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) (14:24): I thank the honourable member for his question. I think that is a misunderstanding of what has occurred. The $2 million grant from the Northern Economic Plan was awarded to a joint venture between ZF and Precision Components, the corporate structure of which I think is now called Precision Buses. That organisation has worked with Bustech in Queensland and, in fact, now has a contract, through Bustech in Queensland, to supply—I think it was announced on 23 or 24 December—approximately 50 buses for Bustech contracts in eastern seaboard states.

The $2 million was awarded to that joint venture between ZF and Precision, which are two automotive supply chain companies in South Australia. They have been doing work with Bustech on the back of those four trial buses, the two Euro 6 standard low emission diesel buses and two electric buses. I saw one of the electric buses on trial, whizzing around the streets of Adelaide in the last week. They have worked with Bustech, based, I think, on the Gold Coast in Queensland, to supply Bustech customers with buses, which has resulted in something like an additional 30 jobs in South Australia.