Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The message of Senator Birmingham and his cohort to the electors of South Australia was not that well received. In fact, it was not that well understood. They chose to stay with a government that supports manufacturing workers and, in fact, cares for all workers across the South Australian economy.

We have had this group of South Australian senators arguing against the Woomera bill, which is another attempt by a Labor government to get in and supply some opportunities for people in the economy. But, no, Senator Birmingham's model is: 'It is someone else's fault. There is a great big pile of reasons why we cannot do anything about manufacturing jobs. We are going to blame them and hope for a future plan.' But there is no future plan. The Commission of Audit report will come out and inflict more pain on more sectors in the government's grand desire to recreate this new fiscal world that they think we should all live in. I do not know where the place for manufacturing workers is. I do not know where the place is for the 70 per cent of our children who do not go to university. Where is it?

We heard Senator Birmingham say, 'They will go into this new economy we are creating.' Let's articulate a few of those jobs. Where are they? They are not going to be in building cars—we know that. They are not going to be in making car components—we know that. There is an awful doom and gloom hanging over the air warfare destroyer project. There is a work gap there which means that there could well be an exodus of skills. Let's be fair, Senator Birmingham: your predecessors, who were very much more influential in their governments, created a defence environment in South Australia which we sought to continue on. But you did not even get up and articulate the case for your own state in respect of the air warfare destroyers.