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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-27 Daily Xml
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GM HOLDEN

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade. How does the South Australian government's co-investment package compare to assistance packages internationally?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (15:00): There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not the South Australian government, the Victorian government and the commonwealth government should be entering into a co-investment with Holden's. I was on the ABC Drive program with Mr Michael Smyth and we were talking about it, and the truth is that Australia is one of 13 countries in the world that manufacture motor vehicles. In fact, we are one of the few countries in the world that are capable of starting the process, from design right through to the assembly line right here in this country. It is a capability that is strategically important to this nation.

Every car on South Australia's roads, other than probably some very extreme prestige cars, has a form of government investment in it, whether it is tariff protection or taxation. South Australians driving to work—whether it is in a Mazda, a Nissan, a Toyota, a Ford, a Holden or a Hyundai—have a form of government investment in that vehicle, yet there are some members opposite and members of the Liberal Party who believe that that should not be the case.

I want to point out that last year Holden's sold 40,000 Commodores, No. 2 in the country—a good brand. Alexander Downer, the modern father of the Liberal Party of South Australia, says, 'Holden are making cars people don't want to buy.' That is not true. The Cruze was No. 5 nationally, selling over 33,000 vehicles. The Sapphire research group commissioned a study—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Who is that back there?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —and it was done in response to people talking about how much investment there is in Australia compared to overseas, because, ultimately, a lot of people think that the automotive industry can survive on its own. I want to give a few figures to the house based on this research. In Canada, $4 billion was provided in loans to the Canadian automotive industry in 2008-09. In France, €6 billion was provided in loans to car makers Peugeot Citroen and Renault, €600 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left, order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —was provided for the automotive industry suppliers and €2 billion was provided to the financial services arm of Renault and Peugeot Citroen. The German government provided €1.5 billion—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I don't spend as much time in Paris as you; I spend time in Adelaide.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Madam Speaker, I think he's getting a little bit obsessed. The United Kingdom provided £2.3 billion in loans and the Swedish government provided over 20 billion kronas in assistance to their automotive industry. In the United States, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) provided net assistance of $73.8 billion in the form of assistance.

Mrs Redmond: How many 'Pergios' can you buy with that?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That's the point, isn't it?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Members opposite don't want Australian subsidies in Australian cars, because they prefer to buy foreign-made cars. They would much rather drive around in Land Rovers and BMWs rather than drive around in Australian-made vehicles.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That's the truth.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr MARSHALL: Point of order: standing order 98, debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Actually, the minister's time has expired. The member for Florey.

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