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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-02-28 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Coca-Cola Amatil

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Manufacturing a question about Coca-Cola workers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: In the minister's press release dated 23 February this year, outlining the state government's support package for Coca-Cola workers, it states that the government will establish a transition centre to assist the displaced workers. My questions to the minister are:

1. Given that services on offer at the Career and Workforce Development Centre at Warradale have not been delivered as promised, can the minister guarantee that this transition centre will provide the assistance that these workers need?

2. Will the same level of support that has been offered to the Coca-Cola workers be offered to the Caroma workers, following the announcement of the closure of the Magill Road production plant?

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) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I am most pleased that he keeps going on about this topic of our support for workers in southern Adelaide in the automotive sector. It has been well agitated in this place.

It was the Hon. David Ridgway's mates in the federal government that chased Holden out of this country. We well remember three years ago, up in parliament, daring Holden to leave. The very next day Holden left after his mates in Canberra chased Holden out of this country. We don't take the same attitude to manufacturing workers in this state; we have a different attitude from those opposite. We will support workers in the manufacturing industries. We have opened an Automotive Workers in Transition office in southern Adelaide, and it will provide for workers as workers come and want our services there.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The opposition is suggesting that maybe we should close it down, maybe we shouldn't spend money in the south. Well, we will stand by workers, whether they are in northern Adelaide or southern Adelaide. We won't do as they suggest—as the member for Mitchell suggests, which will be very awkward in the upcoming election campaign—that is, close that office down and make them go to Elizabeth. We don't plan to do that.

We will continue to provide levels of services for the automotive workers in the southern suburbs and, more importantly, supply chain workers. We know there are many auto supply chain workers who have worked for companies that have supplied Mitsubishi who continue to work in the southern suburbs and, as Holden winds down towards the end of this year, they will access services more.

We announced last week that we will set up a transition office at Coca-Cola. We will have state government officials at Coca-Cola from this week, providing advice and information on services. The Coca-Cola company and the state government are working together for a package of services for the workers at Coca-Cola that will include similar things to the auto workers: career advice, skills recognition and funding for training.

We will have someone down there. That's what we do as a Labor government: we support workers. We will have people at Coca-Cola from this week, we will set up a transition centre there for people to get easy advice, and there will also be a hotline number for people to call to get that advice easily. That's what we do as a Labor government.

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