Senator CARR (Victoria—Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for Defence Materiel) (14:31): I thank the senator for his question and for his commitment to Australian jobs. I want to send a very clear message in answering this question that this Labor government will remain committed for the long haul to the success of the Australian automotive industry. This is an industry that is the foundation stone for manufacturing generally in this country. It is fundamental to our ability to remain an advanced industrial society—a high-tech society. It is fundamental to employment and it is fundamental to exports. Even in these most extraordinary of times, the automotive industry is still exporting $3.4 billion in automotive projects. We have the $5.4 billion new car plan which, of course, is keeping the industry moving forward in a way that allows us to deal with these extraordinary circumstances. The New Car Plan for a Greener Future is, in fact, the key reason we still remain one of the 13 countries in the world that can make a motor car from the point of conception through to the showroom floor. We have to secure that position, and we have done so with a per capita cost of something less than the price of a football ticket—$17.80—which, of course, compares with the German situation: it is five times that amount in Germany. We see that with the Americans it is some 14 times more. Our approach is to ensure that we attract the investment through a co-investment strategy. We are in the business of protecting the security of working people. We are in the business of securing the future and the economic prosperity of this country. And at a time when the dollar has risen by some 67 per cent since 2008 it is necessary for the government to step up to its responsibilities, to join with people to ensure that we are able to secure the jobs for the future.