Prime Minister Tony Abbott says it's "embarrassing" for the South Australian government to complain about the size of the Holden worker plan when the state has yet to contribute a cent.
Mr Abbott on Wednesday announced a $100 million package to support 2900 Holden workers in Victoria and SA who will lose their jobs when Holden closes its car production in 2017.
In his media release, the prime minister said the commonwealth would contribute $60 million, Victoria $12 million and the remainder would be drawn from the SA government and Holden.
SA Premier Jay Weatherill, who is meeting with advisers on Thursday to discuss a much larger economic package for his state, said Mr Abbott's plan was inadequate to cope with the direct and indirect damage to be caused by Holden's shutdown.
Mr Abbott told Adelaide radio 5AA on Thursday the $60 million compared favourably with previous car industry worker assistance packages in recent years.
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"There's nothing at all from South Australia towards the Holden adjustment package and I think it is pretty embarrassing for South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill," he said.
He did not support "business welfare", but believed the government had a role to play in some industry policy.
"The government sometimes has a role to ensure that businesses get a good start. But once they are up and running, it's not government's job to offer them handouts."
It was the government's job to ensure business was operating in the best possible economic environment, Mr Abbott said.
