Mr TRUSS (Wide Bay—Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) (14:37): Obviously I am not competent to comment on the statements of a Holden spokesman; that is a matter for them. Mr Bowen interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for McMahon has been warned. He will leave under 94(a). The member for McMahon then left the chamber. Mr TRUSS: I did indicate yesterday that I thought it was important for Holden to make their position clear so that Australians knew whether they intended to keep manufacturing in this country or not. Holden have made that statement now and, whilst I regret the nature of the statement and the fact that Holden are to downsize their operations in Australia, they have at least delivered certainty to the Australian marketplace and, in particular, certainty to their employees. Holden will continue to have a large number of employees in Australia but some will no longer— Mr Conroy interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Charlton will remove himself under 94(a). The member for Charlton then left the chamber. Mr TRUSS: be needed because of the closure of their manufacturing operations. This downsizing is going to occur over a period of four years and, for that reason, we as a government will stand ready to work with them— Mr Perrett interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Moreton will remove himself under 94(a). The member for Moreton then left the chamber. Mr TRUSS: to try and make this transition as smooth as possible. There is one other thing I would like to convey to the House from my discussions with Mr Devereux. He said in his statement that he would not be seeking to blame governments, either state or federal, for the decision that Detroit has made. They have—to use his words—confronted a perfect storm of events which are affecting their decisions about their future as a company, not just in Australia but in other parts of the world. The reality is that there are a number of things that have happened over a number of years which have made vehicle manufacturing in Australia less competitive than it once was. It is self-evident to us all that wages paid in Australia are much higher than wages in other parts of the world; costs in Australia are much higher than in other parts of the world. On the other hand, this is a country with a skilled workforce and the natural advantages of working in an environment where there can be a supportive community and people live in a pleasant lifestyle. Ms Owens interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Parramatta will remove herself under 94(a). The member for Parramatta then left the chamber. Mr TRUSS: This government has sought to work with the motor vehicle industry to make its environment as satisfactory as possible so that they can manufacture and do so in a profitable way. I am not going to take the opportunity again to refer to what happened over the last few terms of government. The reality is we must face the situation as it is now and get on with helping the Holden workers to make a transition and helping the economy of South Australia to move into new areas where it can prosper and provide work for its people.