Ms Saffioti questions the Treasurer regarding the economic viability of local railcar manufacturing, particularly concerning local content percentages. The Treasurer defends the government's approach, highlighting existing local content and criticising the opposition's manufacturing plant proposal.

AnsweredQoN 676Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 September 2016
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

RAILCAR CONSTRUCTION — LOCAL CONTENT
676. Ms R. SAFFIOTI to the Treasurer:
I have a supplementary question.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : We are running out of time!
Ms
R. SAFFIOTI : Given that yesterday the Treasurer said it was uneconomic to
locally manufacture 60 railcars, does the Treasurer now believe that with
manufacturing 300 railcars, this government can commit to a 60 per cent local
content policy?

AnswerView source ↗

The point is —
Ms
R. Saffioti : No, your point is that you had no idea yesterday! Fifty-six—it
was embarrassing! You make it up as you go along! You're the Treasurer
of the state!
The
SPEAKER : Member for West Swan, I call you to order for the first time.
Treasurer, through the Chair.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : Victoria is not manufacturing the cars. It has local content
and it is assembling some of them there, as Mr Davis, head of the Australian
Workers' Union, said. It is repairing them, it is fixing them up and it
is maintaining them. The local content that Victoria is doing, we have been
doing for decades!
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : We do. The opposition's point is that it has committed
to building a railcar manufacturing plant, and it is just a mirage—a
mirage!
Several members interjected.
Dr
M.D. NAHAN : We have extensive local content for all the railcars we
purchased over in Queensland and overseas. The opposition is out there, in an
election, promising to build a railcar manufacturing plant, and it is just a mirage—fake,
fraud!

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