The Button Car Plan (also known as the Button Plan was the informal name given to initiatives by the Australian Federal Government to rationalise the motor vehicle industry. At the time of it's inception, Australia's motor industry was heavily protected by import tariffs, harbouring the assembly of 13 different models by various manufacturers. The Button car plan aimed to reduce this number to 8 models, with the aim of forcing some amount of industry consolidation. The over-arching aim of the scheme was to make the motor vehicle industry in Australia more efficient (by consolidation of resources), allowing the import tariffs to be gradually unwound. This in turn would theoretically expose the local industry to increased competition from imported products, fostering improvement in local vehicles and creating the basis for a competitive export industry.
The man most associated with the plan was John Button. Industry consultation had begun in 1984 with a proposed start date of 1985.
The Button Car Plan was one of the first implemented examples of economic rationalism that marked the Australian Labor Party's term of office with the election of Bob Hawke and treasurer Paul Keating.
