Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Industry and Science, in writing, on 14 November 2014:

Is the Minister aware that the communities in the electoral divisions of Wills and Calwell are yet to absorb the full effects of the hollowing out of the local manufacturing base, as a result of the Government's decision to abandon manufacturing, particularly through the closure of Ford Australia's manufacturing plant in Broadmeadows?

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

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

The Australian Government has not abandoned manufacturing but believes that in order for Australian manufacturing to compete effectively, they must transition to higher value-added products and access global value chains.

The Australian Government has been working with the Victorian Government to assist manufacturing firms in the regions affected by structural change, in particular through the $24.5 million Melbourne's North Innovation and Investment Fund. The programme will support sustainable investment by businesses, including manufacturing firms, leading directly to new sustainable jobs in Melbourne's North and to assist the region to diversify its economic base.

This is complemented by the $155 million Growth Fund, which includes the $60 million Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme (NGMIP). NGMIP supports capital investment by firms in areas of high value manufacturing in Victoria and South Australia, as well as enabling the firms to build scale and expand into new or growing markets.