Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Paterson we're proud of our local manufacturing industry and our Australian made products. Indeed, manufacturing is in our very DNA. But, like all industries, manufacturing must be nurtured and supported. It must be protected by government having good policy surrounding it if it is to continue to deliver its Australian made stamp. Australian products are so critical to our economy. That's not been more obvious than in this time of pandemic that we've endured. We must ensure that manufacturing jobs are secure for now and into the future. We should continue to enjoy the pride of having Australian made products available to us.

I want to share a little bit about my home town. It is a cautionary tale regarding local manufacturing loss. Kurri Kurri, where I was born and live, once housed the mighty Kurri Kurri Alcan aluminium smelter that later became Hydro. At its peak, the smelter employed 892 people and injected over $25 million in wages in our region each year. The Kurri Kurri smelter, over its life, would go on to expand its production capacity to 180,000 tonnes of primary aluminium per year. The product was in high demand for years and, sadly, in 2012 we lost the smelter when Norsk Hydro announced its intention to close it, citing an uncertain economic outlook. I raise the example of the Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter because it serves as the perfect case study for the value and the strength of regional manufacturing and the consequences to an economy and a town when the jobs are lost. The Kurri community is still, to this day, feeling the impacts of its closure. They were a small town with a successful product. I know because we celebrated the life and passing of my Uncle Paul Innes last Friday, who worked there for many years after he finished being a vegetable farmer because of flooding and difficulties on the land. He and his sons went to work at that smelter, and many of my relatives and friends worked at that smelter until its closure. I know their stories all too well.

That is why it is so important that governments support manufacturing jobs, because they are so vital, not just to small towns but to all towns and all economies. Under this government's watch we've lost Holden—an iconic Australian brand that produced a fantastic product. Those opposite have failed to realise that, when companies like Holden disappear, they take more than just jobs with them. What we lose is a highly skilled workforce with corporate knowledge of an industry and its products. Once these manufacturers fall, we lose the quality of Australian-made products. Most importantly, we can't afford these skills, knowledge and potential to be lost forever. We can't afford to lose local products.

Australians have lost more than just Holden cars. Many manufacturers have taken their products overseas or off our shelves entirely. We've lost companies like Ansell, Goodyear tyres and even the Pacific Brands clothing, famous for such brands as Bonds—Chesty Bonds, no less—Volley shoes, Hard Yakka, Sheridan, and many more. We've even lost some of our international heavyweights in manufacturing, like Bridgestone tyres, Sidchrome tools, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Toyota and Electrolux ovens and refrigerators. Once proud Australian-made products are gone forever. The seat of Paterson produces many excellent Australian products from each end of the spectrum. We make wine, milk, chocolate and cheese. We produce aluminium, hand sanitiser and cleaning products. We even build machinery for mining, transport and construction. We have some amazing manufacturers, like Mortels, who make the famous Ugg boots and many more products. We have Jurox, Ampcontrol, WesTrac Caterpillar—just to name a few. Last year, I worked closely with the Whiteley Corporation, who make many important cleaning products. Thank you, Whitely Corporation—you kept the hospitals clean in Australia during our most serious pandemic.

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