An interesting idea. The tariff on imported cars raised about twice what we spent on subsidies.

The only problem I see with the idea is that it may be expensive to obtain the premises, plant and equipment.

Yup - we'll get the Australian Revolutionary Standard (ARS) - the all-Australian for Australians electric car on the road with all that cash.

Joe is a moron - take away that revenue strand and where is his 'budget'?  And what sense would there be for a politician to fund some industry in Australia?

They are ALL self-interested morons and the sooner we get rid of the lot the better.  Drastic times call for drastic measures - they sure do - and it's way past time to repudiate some of the idiotic ideas like Lima, and get back to running this country for Australia.

Its not as bad as you think, I'm in the woodworking machinery and tooling game, family owned company. Our Biggest competitors are German owned Companies, They have tried to screw us out of the industry for most of my life. But we are still here. Half the battle is fining our niche in the market, once found one can survive. The same can be done in to automotive industry.

Australia does not like to fund foreign companies, hence the current lack of support to prop up current automotive companies, besides there is nothing we could of done to save it how it is, remember when Rudd was PM and gave Toyota millions of our money and Toyota didn't know why and that they didn't need it. Once Ford decided to pull out we already knew the rest would follow.

The biggest problem with our car industry is we try to be something we are not. Big production just wont work, This is not the United States, we don't have to population to support it in car sales.

Australia has a lot of Rev heads who took pride in driving an Australian car even people who are not rev heads who also take pride in driving Australian made. With the foreign auto makers pulling out Australia has an opportunity to keep this market share, Think about it, Australian Made and Australian Owned. Tax payers would support it, struth, we are paying a tariff on imported cars anyway, why not put it to building our own car manufacturer.

____ wrote on Feb 13^th, 2014 at 9:37am:



which hybrid do you drive greeny?

cods wrote on Feb 13^th, 2014 at 9:40am:


I'm waiting on a saab electric cods.

What do you drive (besides people up the wall)

BlOoDy RiPpEr wrote on Feb 13^th, 2014 at 9:45am:



Rubbish, make a quality car for the growing middle classes in India, Indonesia, China … . A car brand people will support.

For example one that will run on hydrogen and at the same time make Australia the largest producer of hydrogen from algae.

____ wrote on Feb 13^th, 2014 at 9:54am:

Why in hell would China buy from us when they can just produce it for less them self. you make no sense, China only buys what China doesn't have.