1
NEWS
Senate inquiry into automotive industry
A last desperate grasp for relevance, or a genuine commitment to the future?The VACC has offered its support for a Senate Inquiry into the local automotive industry.
It may seem late in the day, given the three remaining manufacturers have admitted defeat – and all will be closing their production plants by the end of 2017. And certainly, the VACC's Executive Director David Purchase says that it has been a long time coming, but the announcement is "music to our ears," as he was quoted saying in a press release issued last week.
"We have called for a whole-of-industry Inquiry for many years. There have been plenty of reviews and reports in the past but they have mainly focused on manufacturing, and overlooked the significant role the retail sector plays.
"This is an important moment for the automotive industry. The Senate Inquiry provides an opportunity to clearly define the future of Australia's automotive industry. As Richard Dudley, the CEO of our national body, AMIF, says, it is a 'once-in-a-generation' chance to discuss and establish 'government investment, support and/or intervention, industry action and policy cohesion'.
"VACC will do all it can to support the Senate Inquiry and will assist AMIF with its offer to facilitate a summit for the entire Australian automotive industry," Purchase concluded.
The terms of reference for the inquiry are as follows:
- maintaining the capacity for Australia to engage in advanced manufacturing, by ensuring skills and industrial capabilities that have been sustained by the automotive industry are not lost;
- reducing Australia's dependency on commodity exports by diversifying the country's economic base, noting the importance of advanced manufacturing, including the automotive industry, in this diversification;
- the role of all sectors of the automotive industry, including, but not limited to, motor vehicle production, component making, after-market manufacturing, engineering, servicing, retail motor trades, other forms of sales support, and the training of apprentices, in supporting an advanced broad-based economy;
- the special difficulties faced by component makers in the transition to global supply chains and to other forms of manufacturing, especially as a result of the closure announcements made by the motor vehicle producers;
- new technologies influencing the automotive industry, both in Australia and internationally, especially new and developing forms of propulsion, such as hydrogen, electric engines and hybrid engines;
- new business models for the industry, including employee share models and attracting international venture capital and private investment;
- the possible effects of early closure of motor vehicle producers, including risks and consequences for the industry, skills, capabilities and the broader economy, including social consequences, and what policy actions could mitigate or exacerbate these risks and consequences;
- the need to synthesise and consolidate the findings, recommendations and knowledge of other reviews and inquiries pertinent to the automotive industry, in order to identify key policy inconsistencies, regulatory burdens and factors for growth and investment;
- the importance of long-term, stable employment for workers in the automotive industry, and the need for greater access to transitional training and career opportunities; and
- any other related matters.
Tags
Share this article
Written byCarsales Staff
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayDisclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Contact
Advertise with us
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.