Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's my great pleasure to rise and speak in this adjournment debate. I want to begin my contribution by talking about the red ribbon that I am wearing, which is for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. I want to pay credit to the foundation and its goal, which is all about educating children regarding their personal safety, including abduction. Daniel Morcombe, tragically, was abducted and murdered. The foundation is doing some incredible work. It's also focused on assisting victims of crime, remembering Daniel with suitable child safety community awareness events and supporting the families of missing persons, particularly when they are children. So I take my hat off to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

I would also like to celebrate today the fabulous announcement of $10.1 million for local advanced manufacturers in the Corangamite electorate and the Geelong region under the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund. We had some fabulous news this week. In fact, the Geelong region secured one-third of the total grants—$30 million—that were announced for Victoria and South Australia. This is all about supporting manufacturing. Particularly in the wake of the closure of the car industry, our government is working extremely hard to support advanced manufacturing and of course manufacturing workers. We announced $100 million for advanced manufacturing in this year's budget and already we are delivering.

I'm absolutely delighted that there are five funding recipients in the Geelong region. I want to talk a little about each of them because they all either are making an amazing contribution or have the potential to make an amazing contribution to manufacturing and jobs in our region. LeMond Composites has received $2.5 million to support the commissioning of Australia's first commercial carbon-fibre manufacturing facility. This is an absolute game changer. Greg LeMond, the founder of the company, was the winner of the Tour de France in 1986, riding the first carbon-fibre bike in the Tour de France. He then went on to form this company, which has entered into a $58 million licensing agreement with Deakin University. They are developing a unique process as part of that licensing agreement, which we hope will trigger this incredible new operation and manufacturing facility in Waurn Ponds, on the Deakin University innovation site. We are incredibly excited about the potential for LeMond Composites.

In addition, $2.5 million has gone to Carbon Revolution, which, as we know—I have spoken previously about Carbon Revolution—employs 120 people making carbon-fibre wheels for the global auto market. It is an incredible advanced-manufacturing success story. Flat Glass Industries will receive $2.5 million to embed an advanced-manufacturing platform into its existing glass plant in Geelong and manufacture new value-added glass products. Boundary Bend Olives, Australia's largest olive farmer, olive oil producer and marketer of extra virgin olive oil—principally under the Cobram Estate brand—will receive $812,000 to develop its business to utilise waste by-products to produce high-value extracts for the cosmetic goods sector. Air-Radiators has received $1.85 million to assist the company to develop a new range of heat exchangers to support its engine-cooling solutions for high-horsepower diesel engines.

Across the Geelong and Corangamite regions, we are seeing some incredible advanced-manufacturing success stories. We are very proud of the work that this government is doing to support advanced manufacturing. This builds on the very significant work that has already been done through the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund, which has delivered some 890 local jobs, and the growth fund, which has also delivered many additional jobs to our region, and reflects our very strong focus on driving further innovation, skills and employment opportunities for the great people of Corangamite and our Geelong region.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:57