A parliamentary inquiry has urged the federal government not to give up on Australia’s car manufacturing industry.
The Labor-dominated committee tabled its final report in the Senate on Tuesday, recommending the government set up an automotive industry taskforce bringing together industry, unions and government to develop a national automotive policy framework.
“We must not give up on automotive manufacturing in this country,” independent senator Nick Xenophon told parliament, adding 200,000 jobs will be lost if no action is taken.
Toyota, Ford, and Holden currently produce cars in Australia and have all announced plans to stop local manufacturing by the end of 2017.
In addition to the loss of locally built cars, Australian icons such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore will cease to exist in their large rear wheel drive state as a result of the decline in demand for large saloon cars has dropped significantly in recent years.
-AP, additional reporting by Driven