Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

It absolutely is rubbish, Member for Forrest, because it's nowhere near a trillion dollars—but, then again, facts and figures were never a strong point of those opposite.

This bill ignores key economic issues. The key economic issue at the moment is cost of living. There's another really key economic issue, and that is rising energy prices. There is another really key economic issue, and that is labour market shortages. I was speaking to transport operator Peter Rodney, who runs a trucking company out of Wagga Wagga. He has 17 B-doubles backed up against his fence because he can't find drivers, yet what's Labor doing? What's Labor proposing to do? They're going to the states to jack up and whack up the price of fuel, with a 10 per cent price hike on our truckies, who led the way during COVID. They were the real heroes, aside from the nurses and the frontline medical professionals. They were the ones who carried the goods and the personal protection equipment. They are the lifeblood of our nation. No good gets delivered in Australia without a truckie—without someone who puts it on the back of their B-double or their little lorry. I know that's an old-fashioned word, but nothing gets delivered in Australia without the help, in some way, shape or form, of a truckie.

What we have at the moment is a Labor government wanting to increase the excise on fuel, and this is just a disgrace. It's a 10 per cent increase for our truckies. And it's not only that; they're also trying to force those family operators off the road by reckless policies pushing the envelope too far when it comes to climate, making sure that our truckies just don't have a hope for the future. The bill will make it even tougher for manufacturers, and it annoys me that Labor comes to this space and this argument saying there's been nothing done for manufacturers. The Modern Manufacturing Initiative was an absolute boon for regional Australia.

I know that, with the funding that we gave to businesses such as Flipscreen—with a $10 million grant to help this regional manufacturing hub create up to 147 full-time jobs during construction and up to 502 ongoing full-time jobs over the first five years of the project—the proponents there were absolutely delighted. The MMI was the centrepiece of the then coalition government's $1½ billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy, designed to position Australia as a globally recognised, high-quality and sustainable manufacturing nation. Indeed, it was doing the job. It wasn't, as Labor will, sending manufacturing jobs offshore because of sending industry offshore—that's because of high, reckless energy prices and high, reckless energy policies. That's what I really fear and worry about. Businesses will benefit from their own entrepreneurial endeavour. Yes, many require government help, and government help is always going to be there. I look at the Wagga Wagga meat processor, Teys, which has unveiled a $42 million waste energy hub plan that's going to reduce their—and these are their words are not mine—'skyrocketing' energy costs and protect 900 jobs. That is a good thing. They were worried about energy costs, I have to say, when we were in government, let alone what they must think now!

If you go right throughout my electorate you'll see manufacturers and businesses in regional Australia trying to operate in a market which is becoming harder and harder because of those opposite and their policies. The biggest factor—one of the greatest critical factors—is not just energy costs, as I said before, but it's finding the workers. The Regional Australia Institute identified 80,000 vacancies in regional Australia. The member for Page, no doubt, has any number of heavy industry, manufacturers and small, medium and large businesses in his electorate which just can't find hired help. There are signs in every window. If you go down the main street of any country town, city or regional centre then you'll see signs in shop windows which say, 'Apply within'. It's because there just aren't the people. It isn't just COVID, it's just very difficult.

But what are those opposite doing about it? They're proposing a lottery-type scheme in the Pacific which doesn't actually cut the mustard, I have to say, nor does the National Reconstruction Fund. Let's look at the critical issues first: labour shortages, rising energy prices and, basically, the cost of living. Let's let Labor address those issues in government before going down with this fanciful bill that they have before the House. Good luck with that! I know it was part of their election commitments, and let's wish them good luck with it. But, like everything that Labor does, tries or attempts, it will be a folly. It will be a folly, because, unfortunately, that's the Labor way.

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