Cars will continue to be made in Australia so long as Labor is in government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.
Ms Gillard was commenting on job losses announced at Holden, which is set to lay off about 100 temporary and casual workers from its Elizabeth plant in South Australia.
“I am determined and Labor is determined that while ever Labor is here, we will be making cars in Australia,” she said told reporters at a Boeing Aerostructures plant in Port Melbourne on Thursday.
The prime minister acknowledged the car manufacturing sector was suffering because of the high Australian dollar.
She accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of not supporting the industry and criticised his plans for a $500 million cut to the $3.4 billion automotive transformation scheme, which helps car makers adjust their plant operations.
“It is entirely wrong for Mr Abbott and the opposition he leads to be anti the jobs of car workers and to be determined to rip money out of industry co-investment with the car industry,” she said.
The Australian manufacturing sector employs about a million people, including motor vehicle industry manufacturing workers.
Ms Gillard said that car-making was a vital part of the economy and created valuable skills. She said many of Boeing Aerostructure’s workers had come from vehicle manufacturing backgrounds.
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