Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Corangamite for hosting me in her electorate last week where I met more innovative and export oriented manufacturers as well as visit the Deakin University—and I have to congratulate them on the work that they are doing there. I also need to congratulate the member for Corangamite for the hard work she does in the electorate. She has brought a new emphasis on keeping industry competitive in that area. It is lucky that the member for Corangamite was elected when she was, given the previous representation in that seat.

While I was in the seat of Corangamite, I also announced grants under the GRIIF for Organic Dairy Farmers of Australia, a great group of dairy farmers who produce around 25 million litres of organic milk; and for Cotton On, a clothing company that has some 1,300 stores and now employs another 300 people in the area of Geelong as a result of this grant. We talk about the economic action agenda and of course this government is out there putting in place the framework that business needs to be competitive and to be profitable.

We announced last week the Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda. It is a road map to deliver a lower cost, business friendly environment along with a higher skilled labour force and better economic infrastructure. And, of course, it will put science right at the centre of industry policy with a focus on collaboration and research in business.

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