Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Industry and Science. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to support Australian manufacturers and create jobs? What opposition has there been to these efforts?

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for McEwen for the question and also for his service as the chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry, Science and Resources. When you talk with any Australian manufacturing worker, the one thing that stands out in them is pride. They are proud of what they make. They're proud of the products they are making and proud that they're making a contribution to the economy. They're proud of what they're doing for exporting. And they're proud to make a difference in someone's life. A lot of us know this firsthand because we're the sons and daughters of manufacturing workers. We've seen it in our own families.

The $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund that got the support of the parliament this week is not just providing growth capital for those firms; it's sending an important signal. It's Australians backing Australians. It is about the fact that we've got the backs of Australian manufacturing workers and their businesses, and that modern economies, especially big economies, need a strong manufacturing capability running through them. Manufacturing matters. It creates secure jobs, and it's not just in our cities but in our regions as well. For example, in Victoria more than a quarter of manufacturing jobs are in the regions. In New South Wales, it's 35 per cent. In Queensland, it's over 40 per cent.

The NRF should be a platform to create secure jobs in sectors and activities like value-adding in resources, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, defence, renewables and low-emission technologies, medical sciences, and advanced manufacturing. This is creating work—from boilermakers through to bioengineers; from designers through to fitters and turners, medical scientists, warehouse managers, software experts, technicians and more. We want the NRF to have a strong regional impact.

When you listened carefully to the Liberal and National lines used to attack manufacturing and the National Reconstruction Fund, you didn't feel as though they were talking about us. You thought it was more about them. It was Liberal and National MPs talking about jobs for mates. It was Liberal and National MPs talking about slush funds. It was Liberal and National MPs talking about politically motivated projects in marginal seats. The sad reality is that they're talking about the way they did business. That's the way they looked at it.

I'm sad to inform the Liberal and National parties that their business model is finished. Drawing on the greats like Monty Python, I can say that it's a 'dead parrot' of a business model. It has joined the 'choir invisible'. It is gone. We are done with doing that. It is about an independent board making decisions free of colour coded spreadsheets, about not doing business in the way that you did it and, importantly, about backing Australian manufacturing, because that— (Time expired)

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When the House comes to order, I'll hear from the member for Casey.