Malcolm Turnbull is sad Holden is closing its last remaining car plant, but says strong jobs growth in other sectors of the economy is good news for workers.
The prime minister acknowledged Friday was the end of an era as the last vehicle rolls off the production line at the Elizabeth plant in South Australia.
"You can't get away from the emotional response to the closure," Mr Turnbull told Neil Mitchell on 3AW radio.
But most of the workers had either transitioned into new work or study.
"The good news is that we have strong jobs growth," he said.
Asked whether his government had blood on its hands and should have done more, Mr Turnbull cited the remarks of the General Motors chairman who put the closure down to a "perfect storm".
It was due to the strength of Aussie dollar, high cost of production, a small domestic market and the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world.
Mr Turnbull said there has been enormous government support for the car industry and the transition process.
"But the critical thing to do is to be creating new jobs," he said, pointing to advanced manufacturing jobs in the defence sector.
