CEREMONY
AT FEDERAL MEMBER NICK CHAMPION’S
OFFICE
12 NOON ON WEDNESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER
2013
RIP HOLDENS
AUSTRALIA
It is hard to believe that the Federal Government has given up on
retaining an industrial motor vehicle manufacturing capacity for
Australia.
It seems accepted that once Holden’s goes Ford will speed up its
departure dates and Toyota will not be long behind as without Holden and Ford
there is no critical mass for components suppliers to make assembly here viable
for Toyota alone.
As our State Labour Government whimpers impotently in the
background the Federal Liberal Government is preparing its defence - The economic and productivity
commissions report should be titled – “We haven’t got the guts to make a
political decision so we are going to claim it’s an economic
one.”
In the Australian mixed economy, of State and Private
enterprise, government intrudes
into our lives and economy in virtually every aspect and at every level.
Of Course the maintenance by government of a viable car manufacturing
industry is a political one. And so
it should be seen. To conjure up a
financial report that pretends otherwise is to take us for
fools.
The value of government subsidies, support and intrusion into
education, health, sporting industry and the arts are all examples of the
political idea that the direct user of any particular service is not the only
one to benefit.
The multi-millions of dollars and thousands of jobs that are known to
be flowing from and around the car manufacturing industry are not the only
benefits that benefit us all.
In the high wage environment that is Europe, some countries
subsidise their motor vehicle manufacturers by four times as much as is
proposed by Holdens.
Holdens should not get money for jam. Let’s give them an exit strategy.
Our Government must first make the decision that it wants a car
manufacturing industry. Tell us if
it doesn’t and not hide a political decision behind a contrived
report.
Our Government must then decide what the industry must look like to
survive. Only then can it set about making it so.
That is where their report should be focused.
A wreath, in memory of the Australian Car Industry
will be laid at Federal Member Nick Champions Munno Para office at the twelfth
hour - 12.00 noon 13th
November 2013.