Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week was a very sad time for Gilmore. Whilst in many parts of Australia the increase in employment is beginning to really make a difference for families and prosperity generally, we have heard the announcement that our local iconic industry, the Australian Paper mill, will be closing during 2015. The mill is a specialist industry, with world class production of papers for identity documents, watermark papers, cheques and, most importantly, our Australian passport paper. As a candidate before the last election I was privileged to visit the site. We discussed opportunities, knowing that a lot of local artists use imported paper for their works, and we explored the concept of a different range of products. They took up that concept and produced a very fine drawing paper.

The workers at the mill have done everything possible to extend the life of the mill. We have been in regular contact since I was elected to office. The industry has explored every avenue, requesting an inquiry into the possible dumping of product into Australia, but there was no evidence to support that. The executives of the mill supplied me with samples of different grades of speciality paper, with and without watermarks. We did a letter of appeal to every minister, assistant minister and parliamentary secretary, asking them to consider the purchase of such paper for their correspondence. I thank all responders, and there were many, for getting back to me but there was confusion regarding the ability to purchase outside the whole-of-government contracts that were already in place. We sent copies of all correspondence to the group at the mill. Following that, we managed to get the Australian made paper which did meet all criteria to be put back on the whole-of-government list. However this did not directly help our local mill, except that they did receive orders for regular copy paper when their sister mill could not meet demand.

In particular, I wish to acknowledge agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce, Attorney-General George Brandis, justice minister Michael Keenan and foreign minister Julie Bishop for their positive and active response to the purchase of Shoalhaven paper. Just the other day, the newly appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science, Karen Andrews, informed me that her new letterhead and envelopes will be Shoalhaven paper. I continue to lobby Foreign Minister Bishop, regarding passport paper, to encourage other nations to consider the purchase of our local world-class product. I thank her for her continuing efforts, but as we know this is not a rapid resolution process. In the meantime, production to meet demand for Australian passport paper only uses up about three weeks of working mill time each year. In these times of world instability, people abusing their use of passports and terrorists possibly forging passports, it very much disappoints me that we will lose our safe, secure and world-class production.

We do not write a cheque very often anymore, and that was one of the mill's mainstay production lines. There are very few corporations or businesses that use watermarked paper to protect their correspondence—that is very much a thing of the past. There has been a slow but steady decline in the use of speciality papers. The mill in its heyday employed more than 600 people, so you can see how important this industry has been to our local area.

Whilst at this time there only remains a very professional and dedicated team of 75 employees, the closure of the plant will have a devastating effect. The flow-on loss to the Shoalhaven is estimated to be in the order of $20 million. Last year we wrote to the Minister for Trade, who gave assistance links for Austrade to the mill to encourage export development concepts. Collectively we have explored as many options as possible to keep the mill as an ongoing industry. Sadly, this week the owners have decided, due to several years of financial loss, they can no longer invest in our paper mill in the same way as it continues to lose money.

We have now contacted Centrelink to assist the employees to manage their finances and optimise their benefits. Today I have also written to the Minister for Industry and Science, as well as the Prime Minister, to request further assistance from any avenues they are able to tap into for the workers of the mill. My thoughts and prayers are with the 75 Shoalhaven workers who came home on Tuesday with the most awful news. On a personal level, I find this situation very distressing. It is a challenge and I wish to convey my sympathy and a sincere offer of support to everyone concerned. Should any of the workers or the families need further help in any way, they will only have to contact my office. We may not be able to resolve all their questions straight away, but we will do our absolute best.