Make manufacturing a Federal election issue, SA Manufacturing Minister Tom Kenyon tells auto parts makers Minister Tom Kenyon at the wheel when Holden unveiled its VF SS Commodore sports sedan in Adelaide's Elizabeth plant. Picture: Mark Brake Source: The Advertiser AUTOMOTIVE component makers must push politicians to make the future of manufacturing one of the key issues at the forthcoming federal election, SA Manufacturing Minister Tom Kenyon says. Addressing a forum of suppliers today, Mr Kenyon acknowledged public support for the sector was waning. "This is the first time I can remember having a genuine debate where it isn't just economists questioning why we should support the automotive industry," he said. Your everyday person on the street is starting to ask that question. Mr Kenyon said in the early 1990s, then Prime Minister Paul Keating had garnered public and political support to retain import tariffs on cars in contrast to opponent John Hewson who wanted tariffs slashed. "I don't know that would be the case today," Mr Kenyon said. He urged companies in the industry to approach politicians and tell them about how devastating it would be to lose the industry. "We all know there's an election coming up in September," he said. That's a particularly important event because we're seeing an ideological difference about the future of the automotive manufacturing industry. With people having "a clear idea" about the likely outcome of the election, they should be able to concentrate their lobbying efforts on particular SA candidates to ensure the message would go to Canberra. Companies should not leave the work to industry bodies. He said the State Government fully supported the industry and believed it could not only survive but thrive. However, it had to change in the face of the big challenges of low volume, changing consumer tastes and the high Australian dollar. Federal automotive supplier advocate Will Angove said companies needed different business models, moving to higher value-add positions in the supply chain. Diversification into other sectors such as supplying to defence and mining was attractive but "no immediate panacea" to the problems faced by automotive component makers.