Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Being from the northern suburbs of Adelaide, it is no secret that I'm a strong supporter of RM Williams and the contribution it makes to my community. The brand is an Australian icon, but more importantly it is a real manufacturing success story, with skilled workers in my electorate continuing to craft boots that are worn around the world. This industry contributes more than $27 billion to our economy and employs almost half a million Australians, many of them women working in skilled manufacturing roles across the country. Yet, despite that strength, 97 per cent of the clothing and textiles that we wear are made offshore. That is why the upcoming national manufacturing strategy for fashion and textiles is so important.

As co-chair of the group Parliamentary Friends of Australian Fashion and Textiles, I am committed to supporting this sector and the people behind it—and I want to thank my co-chairs, the member for Flinders, Zoe McKenzie, and the member for Fowler, Dai Le, for their continued support and friendship in launching this group—and to supporting Australian fashion, because, when we support Australian manufacturing in fashion and textiles, we are supporting skilled jobs, regional communities and the future of making things in this country. I'm incredibly excited for the launch of this strategy and what it means for the long-term strength and longevity of the industry. To those that are attending tomorrow morning: you will enjoy a fantastic display of what Australia has got to offer in the way of Australian fashion.

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