Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR (Gorton) (14:57): I move: That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Gorton from moving the following motion forthwith: That this House condemns the Abbott Government for its failure to protect Australian jobs in the automotive and manufacturing sector. This is indeed a very, very sad day for Australia. An iconic company that has had a remarkable history does not look like it has much of a future, and we have to ask ourselves: why is it that this great company, Holden, sees itself in such a difficult situation? Well, you need not go any further than to look at the conduct and behaviour of those opposite in terms of not engaging with this company and looking after the 1,300 workers in Victoria and the 1,600 workers and their families in South Australia. Yesterday, we had the remarkable situation where the Treasurer of this country threatened the company and dared them to leave Australia. I quote from this newspaper: 'Hockey dares GM to leave'. The SPEAKER: All those waving newspapers are out of order— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: And guess what? The Treasurer got his wish! The SPEAKER: and should they be seen again the members will be asked to remove. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The Treasurer got his wish, because, unfortunately and tragically, as a result of the lack of engagement, the lack of regard— Mr Pyne: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: if the member for Gorton seeks leave to move the motion, leave will be granted and the Manager of Opposition Business and I have agreed that if he pursues that course there will be two speakers per side from the government and the opposition. The SPEAKER: Is the member for Gorton prepared to move that way? Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I am happy to do that, Madam Speaker, and— The SPEAKER: In that case— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I am happy to move the motion— The SPEAKER: the member for Gorton has the call to move his motion— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I seek leave to— The SPEAKER: but he does not have the call to flash any newspapers, and if he does he will be asked to remove himself from the chamber. Question agreed to. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I move: That this House condemns the Abbott government for its failure to protect Australian jobs in the automotive and manufacturing sector. This motion needs to be debated in this House, because today we have seen a very difficult and terrible decision for 3,000 workers in this country. But it is not just those 3,000 workers. As a result of the decision by Holden today we will see a multiplier effect on job losses throughout the automotive sector and other sectors of our economy. What we have also seen, not only today but as a result of the inaction by the government this week, is a government that is not interested in ensuring that an iconic company like Holden stays in this country. That is an absolute shame. Yesterday in this place we saw the Treasurer stand up and effectively goad General Motors-Holden into leaving Australia. He effectively said that if you do not make a decision you might as well get out. That was the impact and the import of what he said yesterday in this place. Unfortunately for that company and the workers and their families the Treasurer has had his way. Also, before the decision that was taken today, and even well before the comments made by the Treasurer yesterday, we have seen a fight going on within the government about how they can stop taxpayers' money from in any way providing support for this important sector of our economy. Instead of them using their energy and their industry to support these workers and the company, we have seen them fighting each other to see if they can drag this company out of Australia. They should hold their heads in collective shame over their inability to look after Holden. As a result, almost 3,000 workers in this country go to Christmas with great uncertainty. There is nothing worse for a family than not having secure employment. There is nothing worse, particularly at this time of the year, than not having any sense of security about income for your household—having sufficient money to pay for food, rent and the mortgage and to look after your kids. These are the real issues that are being discussed around kitchen tables all over the country. Instead, we have this ideological battle within the government about whether taxpayers' money should be used in any way to support this industry. We should have seen this coming, because before the election they made it very clear that they were going to rip a half a billion dollars out of the automotive sector. That was the first thing we saw. The second thing we saw was the Treasurer's own comments—he was obviously very weak on GrainCorp, but wanted to toughen up when it came to this issue. So, what does he do? He says: 'Enough is enough. We do not have to put any extra dollars in.' Let us look at the facts here. Of course we should be very careful with taxpayers' money. But let us look at the economic effects of investment. This company directly and indirectly employs a quarter of a million Australians. That is the first thing. The second thing is that at the very least there is about a nine-fold return for every dollar invested by taxpayers. In the case of this company it could be argued that it is up to 18 times higher, as a result. So this is not just providing support for support's sake; it is ensuring that we provide sufficient support for the company. Unfortunately the government has abjectly failed in that regard. Time and time again we have had ministers on the other side making it clear they want to see an end to that support. What are we to say to those workers, and indeed other workers in other companies, who will want to see their federal government provide support for them in times of trouble? We would all recall that for the last four years we had the now Prime Minister, the then Leader of the Opposition, going around the country, visiting ever workplace that would have him, talking about his concern for Australian workers. Mr Fitzgibbon: In a hi-vis vest. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: As the member for Hunter said, he was in a hi-vis vest. He was wearing a hard hat and protective glasses. He had Australian blue-collar workers standing behind him and he said that he was going to be a Prime Minister who concerned himself with those people. He used those workers as a prop for his media conferences. You have to think a bit more about Australian workers than just use them as a backdrop for your political gains. Australian workers expect their government to act in the national interest and look after their back—to look after them when they are in a bit of trouble. What have we seen in that time? We have seen the inability of this government to engage with the sector. We have had threats by the Treasurer and we have had a Prime Minister who on the one hand said he was going to have a calm and methodical government but then he refers this issue to the Productivity Commission and, before the Productivity Commission can even start, the Prime Minister says that there will be no more money for this industry. What sort of message does it send to Holden and the automotive sector when the Prime Minister had already made his decision and pre-empted the outcome of an inquiry by the Productivity Commission? It says that this is just a sham. It says that we are referring this to the Productivity Commission as an alibi for doing nothing and not really caring about these workers. Today, unfortunately and most tragically, we see the news that thousands of workers will lose their jobs, and that is a dreadful thing. On top of that we have already seen the problems that confront Qantas. We would hope the government starts to engage more fully with that company. Just think about how important the automotive sector is to this country. We want to be a country that builds things. We want to make sure that we have a manufacturing sector. We are one of only 13 countries that have the capacity to design and manufacture a motor vehicle. We are an open and competitive market but we also ensure that we provide the right support. And we are no different from other countries. The United States and other countries provide support for their auto workers. They look after them because they know it is a tough industry. They helped them restructure. They helped them innovate. What we have seen here instead is, firstly, a reduction of $500 million in support from the government. Since then, every message sent by this government has been, 'We are no longer going to support those workers.' That is the problem here: this government has turned its back on Australian workers. The reason that I sought to move a suspension of standing orders in this place was that you would have thought that on a day that this announcement was made the Acting Prime Minister would have gotten up on his feet and announced it to the parliament and talked to the Australian people via this chamber. In fact, it took a question. The SPEAKER: I would remind the member that he is moving the motion to suspend standing orders and should be speaking to that motion. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Madam Speaker, this goes to the genuineness of support that the government has shown towards these workers. It took a question from the Labor opposition to raise this matter in this place, even though the Acting Prime Minister was well aware of the facts when he entered the chamber in the first place. What sort of government is this when the Acting Prime Minister does not even stand up and make this issue the biggest matter in this place? By way of contrast, even Premier Napthine understood the importance of standing up in the chamber and announcing the consequences of that dreadful and awful decision. But we saw none of that from the government. The first time that they got up to answer a question on this from their own side was at 2.30. That was the Treasurer in response to a question. Prior to that we had questions coming in from the backbench that had nothing to do with the automotive industry and nothing to do with Holden. That pretty much underlines the insincerity that this government has when it comes to these people. Government members interjecting— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: They can keep shouting all they like. They sound overly defensive. The reason they sound defensive is that they have something to defend, and that is a dreadful reputation with a dreadful disregard for Australian workers. Remember: they are the party of Work Choices. We should not forget that. Government members interjecting— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Yes, it is all a bit of a joke; Work Choices is all a bit of a joke. But the fact is that whenever it comes to workers they are always put last by this government. Why should the lack of regard that this government shows when it comes to the needs of working people in this country surprise me or other members on this side of the House? This government needs to start to engage and look after companies in this country. It should continue to look at better ways to provide support for innovative sectors of our economy. It needs to start to engage not just with the automotive sector but with the aviation sector and other sectors of our economy instead of obsessing and fighting with itself about whether taxpayers should provide any support whatsoever. As a result of the lack of regard and investment by this government and the fact it has have been divided on this issue ever since it was elected, it has fallen asleep on its watch. It has only been three months—it is hard to believe—but it has failed to respond. Today, the Australian automotive industry is in crisis. Around 250,000 Australians employed either directly or indirectly by that sector face a sleepless night. Australia's car industry and the workers and business dependent on it deserve more than a death by dithering. But that is at best what we have had from this government. Mr Devereux, on behalf of Holden, was not clear on the government's position. At best, he was hoping that it was making up its mind and might provide some support. But all hope was lost when we heard the Treasurer yesterday make very clear that he wanted to see the end of Holden in this country. Unfortunately, the arm wrestle between the Minister for Industry and the Treasurer was won by the Treasurer. As a result, workers in that company and other workers in similar companies will be facing a very uncertain Christmas. That is a very unfortunate thing. Mr Pyne interjecting— Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: You can interject all you like, member for Sturt. Here is a bloke from South Australia who has so little regard for Holden workers that he thinks it is funny. It is not funny and the member for Sturt should not think it is funny. What is this photo about? The SPEAKER: The member for Gorton will put that photo down. Mr Pyne: I rise on a point of order, Madam Speaker. The member for Gorton has routinely throughout his speech tried to mislead people about the attitudes of the Acting Prime Minister and now me. The idea that I would find that the— The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House will resume his seat. Mr Pyne: I am asking him to withdraw the statement that I find this funny, because I do not find it funny at all. The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House will resume his seat. This is a debate. There will be the opportunity to refute those statements made by the member for Gorton in the course of the debate. Mr BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I will finish where I started. This is a very sad day for Australia. It is such an iconic company that has employed Australians over many decades. It is a company that most Australians grew up with. Instead of finding a way to ensure its future, it is fair to say that the government has been derelict by failing to support the company when support was needed. That is why this motion needed to be debated today. That is why the opposition has brought this matter on. When it comes to looking after industry and indeed workers in this country you will always find Labor standing up for them, defending their interests and ensuring that we find the best way possible to provide support for those industries. That is the exact opposite to we have seen. But that should not be surprising: everything this government said in opposition has turned out to be the complete opposite to what it has done when elected. The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded? Mr Champion: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. The SPEAKER: I call the honourable the Treasurer. Opposition members interjecting—