Melbourne
E & O E - PROOF ONLY
[ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OMITTED]
PM: Today marks the start of Toyota's new global engine line, and the dawn of a new generation of Camry engine production here in Australia.
Put simply, this is a red letter day for blue collar workers and you should be very proud of it.
Today is a win for Australian jobs in this century of growth and change in the region in which we live.
And to get to this day has required an investment from Toyota, commitment from workers, support from government, all showing what we can do when we have a plan for the future and when we work together to achieve it.
So first and foremost, to everyone here, congratulations.
To get here I know you've had to work hard and overcome some very significant barriers.
I know that these are tough days for companies like Toyota Australia, that reach into local markets and have strong export products.
More intense global competition and the strong Australian dollar are making it tough for you and I realise that.
That's why Australian manufacturing is competing on quality and innovation as much as on price.
And I'm pleased that as a Government, we've assisted in the establishment of the engine line here through a $63 million grant under the New Car Plan.
I know to get here you've had to innovate, you've had to be smart.
This new modular facility with its state of the art technologies and highly skilled workforce is an example for the kind of innovation driving modern manufacturing in our nation.
Toyota will be producing both conventional petrol powered and hybrid engines; a capability which is new to Toyota and new to Australia.
The new locally made engines are significantly more fuel efficient and produce less carbon dioxide than their predecessors.
So it's good news for the environment, good news for buyers who need to fill up the petrol tank; they will be saving money every time they go to the bowser.
And it's a great example of the opportunities for manufacturing that come from Australia's move towards a clean energy future.
This demands a lot of the workforce and the management here, and it demands a lot of Australia.
Our products and goods need to be smart, efficient and sustainable.
Our workforce must be skilled, productive and engaged.
Our world-class researchers must link their work with industry so that consumers around the world can benefit from their knowledge and research.
Australian industry must be better linked into the global value and production chains.
But today shows we can get all of these things done.
We are one of the few countries in the world with the capabilities and skills involved in the manufacture of cars from the design stage right through to the production stage.
And that means that our auto industry is a crucible of new skills and new technologies.
It's an industry that employs almost 48,000 people and which supports the jobs of around 200,000 others across the nation.
It's an industry with $4.5 billion in value adding to the broader Australian economy.
It's an industry worth $3.2 billion in exports.
And so it's an industry we value and we're very proud to support.
Now we can only get that done working with you, supporting you, if it's part of a plan for our nation's future and we're realising that plan every day.
Working with you is part of our plan to ensure that we've got a resilient and diverse economy in this century of growth and change.
So I am so pleased to be here for this important event.
And can I say as someone who's lived locally for a very long period of time, I've driven day after day past this place and I know looking at the Toyota factory that not only are we seeing place where cars are made.
We're seeing a place where people make their lives, where you can get the opportunity to have a good job, a secure job, a job that enables them to make a life for themselves and their families.
So it's a great credit to everyone that we are now going to see a continuation of that right here in Altona.
As a Government we've got to keep working with you and I'm pleased today to announce further steps in our plan to promote a strong manufacturing sector.
First, the Government is appointing the first automotive supplier advocate to boost sales of Australian made cars to government and business fleets and to work with your industry to win new markets.
Second, the first funding grant of the $236 million Industrial Transformation Research Program will focus on further research, making sure that we're adding to our manufacturing sector strengths, including production as well.
And third, the manufacturing leaders group will be led by Boeing Australia President Ian Thomas to help manufacturers seize the opportunities ahead.
We're working with you; we want to keep working with you, the car industry and manufacturing, and these are the next three steps for the future.
In conclusion, thank you for getting us to this day. I wish you all of the best for the future.
I'm going to look with pride in the years ahead as I continue to drive to my home in Altona past this place knowing that we achieved a future for it together
Thank you very much.