Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wanted to reflect on a few comments that were made on the ABC Q&A program last night. As the member for Bendigo and being from the Labor side, it is rare to say that I agreed with one of the comments that was made by the member for Kooyong. He said the Bushmaster military vehicle, manufactured in Bendigo, is an example of advanced manufacturing, and I absolutely agree with the statement.

Designed, built and manufactured in Bendigo, the Bushmaster is an example of manufacturing excellence. It is estimated that the Bendigo Thales-built Bushmaster has saved over 300 Australian Defence Force personnel lives in Afghanistan. It is the design. It is the capability. It is a locally designed and produced vehicle. It has been built by Australians to protect Australians, and it is something people working at the Bendigo Thales site are incredibly proud of.

We have a strong history of defence manufacturing in Bendigo. It goes back to the Australian Defence Industries when, during the Second World War and beyond, Bendigo manufactured the vehicles, the protection uniforms—the equipment that our armed services needed. They did it not just because it created jobs but because it was reliable. It was that we produced the best. When it is our troops' lives at risk, we can count on our own to produce the best.

It also leads us to the future for Bendigo Thales. Many would remember the debate over where to next for this fantastic manufacturing facility. The immediate future is secure for Bendigo Thales. An additional 214 Bushmasters were ordered by the former Labor government, and they are in production right now. Then there was the contract with Jamaica which secured a further 12 Bushmasters. That may not sound like a lot, but it is actually an extra three months worth of work for the people at this facility.

The long-term future for this facility, though, is not secure. That is why it is so important that the new government follow Labor's lead and sign and commit to the Hawkei program. The Hawkei is a vital project. It is quite often known as the 'son of Bushmaster'. It has the same protection, it has the same capability and it is the next stage in the manufacturing of defence vehicles that our Australian troops need. But timing is critical. It is so critical that this contract be negotiated with Thales and signed not just so that our troops get a vehicle that can service and protect them in the future but also so that the work in this factory can continue. The fact is that the Hawkei offers the same level of protection and outstanding capability as its stablemate, the Bushmaster, and it is an ideal opportunity for the member for Kooyong, who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, to have a quiet word with the Prime Minister to say it is time to show support for this other example of advanced manufacturing.

I think we are at a critical stage in defence manufacturing in this country. We have met with lots of different workers and lots of different businesses here in this building as well as in our own electorates, and they are telling us that it is time. It is time to sign that next round of contracts. If we do not—if we allow the white paper to take up too long—then these facilities will close because the contracts have not been signed. As someone sitting on this side of the House I do have to ask the question: is this a cynical ploy by the government to delay—through red tape, writing and white papers—these contracts being signed? If they are not signed before the work of the Bushmaster runs out then in Bendigo, unfortunately, we may see the end of a long legacy of defence manufacturing, and that is something I do not believe anybody in this House wants to see. It is why I call on the government to put pen to paper and sign the Hawkei contract as soon as possible.