Support jobs: Leigh Diehm issues his buy-Australian challenge outside Geelong’s ford factory.
By John Van Klaveren
GOVERNMENT failures to buy Australian-made fleet cars contributed to Ford’s sacking of 220 Geelong workers, according to a union leader.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union assistant state secretary Leigh Diehm challenged any politician driving an imported vehicle.
As Mr Diehm issued his challenge, report said the recently released four-cylinder Falcon had run foul of government fleet-buying guidelines.
Federal Government had purchased two four-cylinder Falcons, while the car failed New South Wales fleet rules on environmental grounds.
Ford announced production would scale back to 148 cars a day from 209, with the loss of 440 jobs across its Geelong and Broadmeadows plants.
Creation of 300 jobs at Ford was part of a $103 million government assistance package announced in January.
Mr Diehm said Australian-made cars were only 33 per cent of government fleets.
“Government fleets should be 100 per cent Australian-made. Governments need to lead the way in buying Australian made.
“They need to show the Australian public they have confidence in the auto industry.
“I’d like to challenge any politician in this county who isn’t driving an Australian made vehicle – why not?”
Mr Diehm said constituents should ask their elected officials and politicians whether they drove Australian-made cars.
A check of local parliamentarians revealed the buy local message had been heeded, with most driving Fords.
City of Greater Geelong chief executive officer Stephen Griffin said the City’s vehicle purchasing policy supported Australian manufacturers, with both he and the mayor driving Ford Falcons.
Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips said the Victorian Government supported local car manufacturers, with 98 per cent of its passenger fleet Australian-made, including the four-cylinder Falcon.
Mr Diehm hoped the final number of terminations might be lower than 440.
“The 440 figure is up for negotiation. We haven’t been told that is a hard and fast number at the moment.”
Mr Diehm said Ford would have announced the redundancies earlier without the government assistance.
Corangamite MP Darren Cheeseman said federal fleet guidelines stipulated Australian-made cars “unless it was a specialist vehicle”.
Mr Cheeseman said providing government assistance with contracted staffing levels would have been highly inappropriate.
“Ford needs to make decisions around what is the appropriate staff level to reflect the sales the company is generating.
“I don’t believe in corporate welfare and it’s reckless and unsustainable for companies to be carrying more staff than what is required to meet demand.”
