“Yesterday I commended the Labor Party for their initiative to bring about the development of the hybrid car. I did this because I believed what they were telling the Australian people was the truth; that they had inspired the program for the development of the hybrid car. This was the yarn Mr Rudd was spinning whilst in Tokyo and was backed up by Mr Brumby, jumping for joy in Victoria.

“Today, however, we find out Toyota was going to develop the hybrid car regardless of Mr Brumby and Mr Rudd injecting $70 million of tax payers' money into the program. If Mr Rudd and Mr Brumby want to claim responsibility for the development of Toyota’s hybrid car program then, I suppose, we should be claiming responsibility for the sun rising and the tide coming in.

“That is, the hybrid car developed by Toyota was going to happen regardless of any public announcements by either of these two gentlemen.

“I continue to commend the development of the hybrid car but I think we are all very disappointed Mr Rudd and Mr Brumby had a lend of us on this crucial issue."

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