Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry and Science. How is the Albanese Labor government changing previous approaches to revitalise manufacturing, sharpen Australia's technology edge and deliver skilled, high-paid jobs?

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

I thank the member for Adelaide for that question. He knows ours is a government that wants to deliver A Future Made in Australia. Our people possess, in spades, the know-how to get stuff done in tough circumstances, and they can show the rest of the world how to get that done too. I was reminded of that potential this week, meeting the cohort of students that are off to compete in the International Science Olympiad and others who are about to get involved or have been involved in the National Youth STEM Summit, as well as the first ever intake of Indigenous science graduates at the CSIRO, who the member for Canberra and I visited today at Black Mountain. These recent graduates are going to be researchers, scientists, skilled workers and future industry leaders. We can put that enormous talent to work if we rebuild manufacturing and open up economic opportunity through the things we are doing as a government today.

We know there is a lot to do. We're not wasting any time in revitalising Australian manufacturing and sharpening the nation's technology edge. That's why setting up the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund matters. That's why the $392 million Industry Growth Program announced in the budget matters. That's why putting together plans for tech like the National Quantum Strategy to drive future growth and support industry matter. That's why making headway towards our goal of 1.2 million Australians in tech related jobs matters. That's also why refreshing our national science priorities to help guide our scientists and researchers matters.

We've mined and farmed our way to a lot of money, but the next chapter in future growth is going to focus on the value-add. It's about us doing more with what we've got and doing more of it onshore.

What we're not about is chasing manufacturers out of the country like that mob did—driving out jobs and pressuring communities. It's not about suddenly putting together a manufacturing grants program that gets spent in the weeks leading into an election like the Liberal and National parties did.

You would think, Speaker, that after a decade of chaos and neglect they would have learned their lessons, but the Liberal and National parties have not. Look at their track record in opposition.

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

The member for Gippsland will cease interjecting.

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

The Liberal and National parties refused to back the National Reconstruction Fund to help manufacturers. They refused to back-in lower energy prices to help manufactures. They refused to back better wages for low-paid blue-collar workers. The only time the Liberal or National parties ever want to talk about manufacturing is if there is a TV camera present or a lame social media meme to be made. We deserve better than that, and that is what the government is absolutely delivering.