Vic premier heartened by talks with Toyota VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine says he is heartened by talks with Toyota executives about its Melbourne manufacturing plant. A week after Toyota announced it would axe 100 jobs at its Altona plant, Dr Napthine has met with executives at the company's Japan headquarters. "I'm heartened by the discussions, I'm heartened by Toyota's understanding of their history in Melbourne and Victoria and their ongoing commitment," Dr Napthine said from Japan on Tuesday. In return, the car manufacturer has asked for more government assistance to keep the plant viable. "We'll look to work with them in a productive way, with the federal government, in terms of their future," Dr Napthine said. The company announced last week it would call for voluntary redundancies at its Altona plant, where it currently employs about 2500 people, with the jobs to go by the end of November.