Toyota Redundancies

The announcement by Toyota that 100 staff members at their Altona plant will be given voluntary redundancies should be a wake-up call to the Abbott Government.

In this difficult time for Toyota staff and their families, the Abbott Government needs to stop hiding and give Australia’s car manufacturers, and the thousands of workers they employ, greater certainty.

Our manufacturers are under enormous pressure and if we want to see major employers like our automotive makers stay in business and keep providing jobs for Australians, then the Abbott Government must stand up.

Labor recognises the challenging business conditions Toyota faces, and in an intensely competitive international market our manufacturers need certainty to secure new investment.

This is not just about the 2500 workers at the Toyota Altona plant - many of whom live in my electorate - but about the very future of our car industry.

The loss of this industry would result in large-scale job losses, as well as an end to ongoing research and development, technological advances and innovation.

It’s time the Abbott Government provide the automotive industry with a long term commitment that it can bank on.

The Abbott Government needs to act now.