Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

Manufacturing is growing again, and demand for steel has risen each month since May. These are things that have not happened by accident. They have happened as a result of the government’s stimulus strategy. It is a strategy that those opposite have opposed right down the line. They have happened because this government is prepared to fight for Australian industry and for Australian jobs. They have happened because we are ready to work with industry to generate new investment and employment opportunities. A major employer, OneSteel, has said:

We remain encouraged by … Government stimulus initiatives to invest in infrastructure and boost residential and non residential building activity … we are expecting to benefit from the Government’s Building Education Revolution stimulus from late 2009 and from larger infrastructure projects as they ramp up from around mid 2010.

Industry clearly appreciates why the stimulus strategy is needed and the difference that it is making, even if those opposite have failed to do so. The government has invested some $77 billion in shielding Australia from the worst effects of the global recession, and 70 per cent of that money is going into infrastructure. It is being used to support jobs and business activity today which will create enduring assets that will go on delivering benefits for Australian industry, for Australian communities and for Australian workers for years to come. This is the investment in Australia’s future that we need and it is already paying dividends.