Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before the election we heard that an Albanese government would support Australian manufacturing like never before. But what we have seen so far is the so-called party of the worker put jobs at risk by stalling funding commitments made to our Aussie manufacturers. Projects totalling over a billion dollars, budgeted through the Morrison government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative, are at risk of being torn up by this industry minister. These are projects in critical industries: defence, national security, food security, recycling and, importantly, medical products.

It's been a week since I first called for the minister to do something, and what have we heard? Nothing. Crickets. Well, crickets are not going to create the jobs and economic certainty that employers and manufacturers are crying out for. Instead, the government initiates a value-for-money review, ignoring the fact that a comprehensive assessment by an independent committee is already taking place. With soaring electricity prices, labour shortages and rising inflation, Australian manufacturers cannot afford a government which does not deliver on commitments.

Today I wrote to the minister on behalf of all manufacturers across the nation to ask, 'Why the delay?' and to call on the minister to immediately confirm their funding arrangements. Labor's actions cast a dark cloud over these manufacturing businesses, apprentices, trainees, their families and our communities—a dark cloud over our economy. The minister needs to step up, come clean and sort it out.