Hartsuyker Raises Cowper Job Losses in Parliament

September 20, 2011
The recently-announced redundancies at Express Coach Builders in Macksville were raised in the House of Representatives today by the Nationals‟ Federal Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker.

Mr Hartsuyker told the Prime Minister that the company has been forced to lay off 25 of its skilled workers out of its workforce of 90 because of high taxes, rising costs and intense international competition.

 

“Why will the Prime Minister not listen to the concerns of Express Coaches‟ General Manager, Paul Hoffman, when he says „…when the carbon tax is introduced, there will be yet another added cost to us as an Australian manufacturer…yet our overseas opposition can produce a vehicle in their country and ship it over to Australia carbon tax free. This can only be identified as being a joke‟,” asked Mr Hartsuyker.  “The Prime Minister responded by talking about the incredible growth in the resources sector, the strength of the dollar and the patchwork economy, the effects of which have been blindingly obvious for some time, particularly to the 25 workers losing their jobs in an area where unemployment stands at nine per cent.

“Mr Hoffman tells me that sales have dropped by 35 per cent in nine months as ground is lost to Chinese manufacturers who are currently able to deliver buses at a price nearly $80,000 less than domestic producers. He cites workers‟ compensation, superannuation, payroll tax and fringe benefits tax as adding $13,500 to the cost of every bus produced, coupled with the effect of the strong Australian dollar making imports relatively cheaper. Soon, he will have to factor in the cost of the carbon tax which his overseas competitors will not have to pay.

“The Prime Minister‟s answer today that she is „strongly engaged‟ with Australian manufacturing and that she has allocated funds to encourage competitiveness will bring no comfort to those who have lost their jobs or to those whose jobs remain threatened by her policies.  The reality is that she is supporting Chinese workers over Mid North Coast workers by burdening local employers with her job-destroying carbon tax. She has demonstrated yet again that she does not understand what is happening in the economy.”
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