Tony Abbott wrong on SPC: Bandt
Greens Deputy Leader and Industry spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, today welcomed news that SPC-Ardmona has secured a deal with Woolworths worth a reported $70 million – or the equivalent of 24,000 tonnes of extra fruit and vegetables.
“It is great news that SPC has this lifeline,” said Mr Bandt.
“But this is no thanks to Tony Abbott, who is now trying to have his SPC-fruit cake and eat it too.
“Instead of cutting SPC loose and attacking its workers in a time of need, Tony Abbot should have stepped in and helped the company out.
“Rather than being constructive, all SPC got from the Prime Minister was a big dollop of ideology.
“The State Government had to step in when Tony Abbott failed to.
“For Tony Abbott to now claim he was right all along beggars belief.
“What SPC workers and their families will no doubt be wondering today is why didn’t the Prime Minister help the company in the first place, rather than putting it and its workers through the wringer unnecessarily.”
In February, Tony Abbott attacked the company and its workers, saying that its workplace conditions were "way in excess of the award" and "extraordinary".
Today he said "I always said that this was a fundamentally sound business”.
“When the company was in trouble, Australians bought SPC products by the truck-load, showing that Abbott’s hard-line anti-worker approach is out of step with public sentiment,” said Mr Bandt.