Action needed

THE local vehicle manufacturing industry should be called to account. There is little wonder buyers look elsewhere. My employer operates a fleet of about 250 vehicles and, like every responsible organisation, has a policy of ``greening'' the fleet, which means running LPG vehicles. Also, electronic stability control is an important safety component, having the potential to stop or minimise up to 40 per cent of crashes. Also, I am a director of another organisation, which has a fleet of 200 vehicles. Local Fords or Holdens are preferred to support the economy, which we should all be doing, but stability control is not available on dedicated gas Falcons and there is at least a three-month wait for a dual-fuel Commodore. Given the state of the industry, one would expect orders to be filled within days, not months. This is the motor vehicle industry that has convinced the Federal Government it should be a recipient of taxpayers' funds. These are two examples, but enough for me to question the industry.