Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese government was elected on a mandate to drive the transformation of Australian industry and to revive our ability to make world-class products here in Australia—A Future Made in Australia. Manufacturing matters because it creates full-time, meaningful work and secure, well-paid jobs. We saw through the pandemic our supply chains under huge pressure. Products we expected to have on hand were hard to obtain.

We need to revitalise manufacturing after years of neglect under those opposite. There are a couple of reasons for that. One of them is that they had nine industry ministers in nine years, which has left Australia's manufacturing industry in tatters. I remind people that it was Ian Macfarlane; Christopher Pyne; Greg Hunt; Arthur Sinodinos; Senator Cash; Karen Andrews; Christian Porter, a former member of this place; Angus Taylor, the current shadow Treasurer; and, of course, the member for Cook, the former Prime Minister—and I'm not sure if that was a double-up ministry or he just held it on his own.

Those opposite stood right here, in this place, and baited the Australian car industry into leaving our nation. I remember how frustrated, amazed, disappointed and angry I was, because I knew what it meant. They baited the car industry into leaving Australia. Many may recall our former treasurer Joe Hockey telling Holden from this House, 'Either you are here or you are not,' and refusing to consider $500 million in assistance. In hindsight, that was a paltry amount—

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