Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week was Australian Made Week. Labor governments have been backing Aussie made goods for decades. Forty years since the famous green and gold Australian made logo was commissioned by the Hawke government in 1986, the Albanese Labor government is continuing to support the important work of backing Australian made products. Our government is supporting Australian businesses and manufacturers to make more things here through our Future Made in Australia agenda and our industry policy settings. This is what strengthening our sovereign capability is all about. I'm proud of the businesses in my electorate and across Australia who proudly showcase the iconic green and gold logo on their products.

There's been a lot of discussion this week about the economy as we go through the budget process. Today, I want to speak about a key part of the local economy in my electorate: our manufacturing sector. Australian Made Week is an important opportunity to recognise the contribution local manufacturers make to our economy, to our communities and to the kind of Australia we want to back in and see. Australians support policies that back making things here. They care about the people who make them and they care about supporting local jobs and skills. Communities like mine who were built on manufacturing understand that this is how we create opportunity, and the circumstances thrown at us by an increasingly uncertain and volatile world show us the importance of strengthening Australia's sovereign capability and protecting our supply chains.

For much of the last three decades, Australia's economic direction has been heavily influenced by reactionary Liberal governments whose approach centred on the belief that our economy should rely primarily on exporting raw materials, no value add, and sustained attacks on our industrial capacity, all driven by the belief that Australia should be nothing more than a quarry. Communities like mine understand the importance of governments working alongside industry and workers to help build local capability, support secure jobs and invest in areas that strengthen our economy into the future. Backing Australian manufacturing is central to delivering the sorts of outcomes Labor governments have always believed in—secure, well-paying jobs that give people stability, dignity and long-term career opportunities; and strong local industry that makes Australia self-reliant, secure and fair.

There is no reason why Australian made products cannot compete with the very best in the world. We have the skills, the talent, the innovation and the workforce to build products that can succeed in markets both here and abroad. There is no reason why more Australian manufacturers cannot become recognised household names and businesses that support local jobs and showcase Australian quality and ingenuity on the global stage. For communities like mine, which have seen significant changes to local manufacturing, support for industry remains incredibly important. That is why continued investment in manufacturing matters—to ensure that Australian manufacturing continues to play an important and central role in our nation's economy. It is about the products that carry the green and gold logo, but it's also about the families who can work towards homeownership through secure employment, young people who are able to gain skills and move into meaningful work and an economy that gives people the opportunity to aspire with real social and economic mobility.

I do want to also take this opportunity to thank my colleagues on the industry, innovation and science committee for coming to my community for local site visits as part of our inquiry into the Australian tyre industry. This included Tyrecycle in Somerton, who do great work when it comes to recycling used tyres by using advanced shredding equipment to break down tyres into manageable pieces which can be repurposed into high-value materials for construction and industrial use, such as tyre derived fuel, rubber crumb and durable infill for roads. We also took the opportunity to visit ELT Recycling, a tyre-processing facility in Campbellfield which specialises in taking in used tyres and processing them to export-grade-quality tyre derived fuel.

If we want a stronger, more resilient economy, we need to continue backing the people, the communities and the businesses who make things here. On the back of Australian Made Week, make sure you buy Australian made and support Aussie businesses here.