The former boss of the manufacturing workers union says the Government could be buying “a pig in a poke” with the Camry deal. In other words, Kevin Rudd has signed the deal in a hurry without really understanding what he’s getting.

“What disturbs me about it is that it seems to me we’re buying old technology,” he has told the The Sydney Morning Herald.

He has a point. The Camry hybrid we’ll get is based on the same technology as the current Prius, which is essentially almost a decade old. By 2010, both General Motors and Toyota are aiming to have much more efficient plug-in hybrids based on the latest battery technology.

So why has the Government been so keen to secure the deal? And why is it giving the world’s most profitable car company a $35 million hand-out when the company itself says it was going to bring the hybrid Camry to Australia anyway?

Add to that the fact that all the components for the hybrid drivetrain in the Camry will be imported from Japan, and the net worth to Australia of the deal begins to become a little dubious.

Senator Campbell suggests the generosity may be tied in with local manufacturing jobs more than genuine environmental concerns.

Toyota has been very vocal about the fact that its Australian manufacturing operation, including its export business, is looking less attractive to head office because of the high labour costs and the strength of the Australian dollar.

Senior management says the local operation’s biggest threat isn’t Holden and Ford, but other Toyota plants around the world. The company now has Camry plants in seven countries around the globe, including China, Russia and Thailand.

Was Mr Rudd’s decision more about keeping Camry production in Australia and less about delivering a greener future for Australian motorists?

After all, 10,000 hybrid Camrys, some of which are likely to substitute for Priuses, are hardly going to put much of a dent in our automotive industry’s global footprint, given that Australians buy one million new cars every year.

So do you think Senator Campbell’s on the money or is the Camry deal an important step towards a greener future for the Australian car industry?

Richard Blackburn

Posted on June 23, 2008 4:24 PM

Funny thing Toyota already make these in Japan
don”t they. …and u know what I bet Toyota needs every bit of the 35 mill.

Working Families will flock to these like a Unionist to a smoko.

All Chairman Crud had to do was stop the diesel ripoff and we would all happily buy diesels.

Doesn’t sound green enough I suppose.

The chairman of political spin teaming with the Kings of automotive spin. Should be a marriage made in heaven.

im curious as to how the so called fund works.

is it first in gets the lot?
or do they only get what they need.

i mean toyota would only need funding to slightly change a production line as the development on a hybrid tech already exists,
whereas for ford and holden they woul dneed loot for part development too

im actually surprised it has taken toyota that long to take up a government offer.

It’s naive in the extreme to believe this wouldn’t have happened had the former government retained power. Interest rates were well on the way up then. The global credit crunch was in full swing and the oil producing nations were already experiencing a tummy ache that gets passed rapidly around the world.

So let’s just applaud the fact that someone – anyone, but it turned out to be Rudd – said, righto, we can do something about this, or we can choose not to do something about this. He’s doing something, and the car makers are getting down and partying along.

We can too. Or we can stay sulking at the edge of the playing field with our arms crossed, blurting “I’m not playing!” :( :( :(

Jobless rate tipped to rise
June 10, 2008 – 11:31AM
Source: ABC
There are more signs unemployment is on the way up, with a survey finding employers are starting to reassess their need for more staff.

The National Australia Bank’s (NAB) monthly business survey shows business confidence remained low in May after a large drop over the past six months.

The bank’s head of Australian economics, Jeff Oughton, says employment growth has been strong, but that is starting to change.

“Looking ahead you still see this slowdown in sales and profits feeding into the job market now,” he said.

“Employers are scaling back production and their hiring intentions. As that’s sustained, you expect to see the economy slow and the unemployment rate to rise and inflation pressures to ease.”

Meanwhile the ANZ job advertisement series slipped in May, with the number of newspaper and internet employment notices down 1.7 per cent overall.

Newspaper job advertisements have plunged 13.5 per cent.

ANZ’s co-head of Australian economics, Sally Auld, says that is the biggest monthly decline in almost eight years.

“We are seeing a loss of momentum in job ads growth,” he said.

“I think what that’s telling us is maybe we’ll see a modest slowdown in the monthly employment numbers over the next couple of months.”

Ms Auld says the job advertisement survey is consistent with other softer figures on economic activity.

“It might be reflecting caution on the part of employers about hiring new staff in an environment where we’ve got tighter credit conditions,” she said.

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE PARTY AT MY PLACE ON THE NIGHT HE WAS ELECTED. OUT OF FIFTY TWO PEOPLE, ONLY 3 VOTED FOR JOHNNY.

SEE KEV GO, HE’S KEEPING ALL HIS PROMISES!