The Age - today
Treasurer Joe Hockey is standing by his claim that Toyota nominated costly workplace conditions at its Altona plant as ''the key impediment'' to remaining in Australia as the blame-game over its withdrawal focused on union power.
Responding to a Fairfax Media report that Toyota's Australian boss Max Yasuda had met Mr Hockey on December 3, at which time he had made the comments, Mr Hockey used a morning radio appearance to declare the report accurate.
Treasurer Joe Hockey during Question Time. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
''It was a private conversation, but it's an accurate report,'' he told Fairfax Radio.
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''Well I saw the report this morning and it is accurate … the fact is that they were very concerned about the conditions that existed at Toyota in Australia.''
However, Toyota became the second company after SPC Ardmona to seek to correct the record over its industrial relations by issuing a short statement denying categorically that it had ''blamed'' the unions for its impending withdrawal.
''Toyota Australia has never blamed the union for its decision to close its manufacturing operations by the end of 2017, neither publicly or in private discussions with any stakeholder,'' the statement said.
''As stated at the time of the announcement, there is no single reason that led to this decision.''
The embarrassing argument opened the way for a full-throated political attack by the opposition claiming Mr Hockey was verballing Toyota, just as he had been caught over-egging the role of unions in rendering SPC Ardmona's Shepparton factory unprofitable.
It came as a senior car industry source told Fairfax Media that all three car makers were deeply concerned at calls to ditch the existing 5 per cent import tariff, now Ford, Holden and Toyota had decided to leave the country within the next three years.
I wonder if the poking out tongue is a "tell" for when he is lying? More likely though his "tell" is when he opens his mouth.
Hockey: " … the fact is that they were very concerned about the conditions that existed at Toyota in Australia.''
Toyota Australia president and chief executive officer Max Yasuda blamed the "unfavourable Australian dollar", high costs of manufacturing and low economies of scale."
"high costs of manufacturing" would I consider include union workplace conditions/awards.
Lets skip back to this from the ABC in January:
"The Government says Toyota workers may have to accept cuts to entitlements if they want to keep their jobs."
Now further back Dec 2013:
"Justice Bromberg upheld an injunction sought by the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) on behalf of staff preventing Toyota from asking its factory workers to vote today on changes to shift flexibility and overtime bonuses,
This means that it is now highly likely that the company will not be meet its stringent cost-reduction targets that are key to securing investment in the 2018 Camry."
Forget what pointless political jousting point scoring is enacted here, if the AMWU had not opposed in the Federal court what Toyota was seeking: that the workers decide their own fate, things could well have ended differently (and far better for them).
Of course Toyota will not directly critise the AMWU, but the above plainly indicates what has been publicly left unsaid:
The AMWU won the Dec court battle, but in doing so lost the whole war for the Toyota workers.
"It's not actually legal for sheep or goats to vote"
No amount of bold text, or sheep and goats will change the fact that Hockey, just like Abbott is a liar.
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