Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have a message for our nation and for the people I represent in the federal electorate of Corangamite. We are fighting for jobs, we are fighting for a bright future in manufacturing and we are fighting for opportunity. We have just heard comments from the member for Lalor, who I note is leaving the chamber, obviously not wanting to stay around to hear what we have to say. We do have the answers. That is why the Australian people rejected Labor at the last election. Some of the comments that were just made were utterly offensive. We all acknowledge that everyone in this chamber on both sides wants jobs, but the problem with Labor is that they failed.

For workers of Toyota, Holden and Ford, and their families, this is a very tough time. As a government, we are determined to build a strong and prosperous economy, a safe and secure Australia. We are determined to abolish the carbon tax and the mining tax, to end the waste, to slash red tape and to get the nation's finances back on track. Let us never forget Labor's legacy to this nation. Over the forward estimates we are staring in the face of $123 billion in cumulative deficits and government debt of $667 billion. As economic managers, the people of Australia has given Labor a big F. That is F for fail. Our job, as a government which understands the importance of responsible economic management, is to get our country back on track. Part of that challenge is to build the confidence of business to invest, to grow and to employ. Labor destroyed that confidence with its jobs-destroying carbon tax and its jobs-destroying mining tax. Labor destroyed that confidence with its waste and incompetence.

I also want to draw your attention, Mr Deputy Speaker to the words of the member for Corio, who claims that we will be a dumber nation when we stop making cars. These words are typical of what we are hearing from the other side—the negativity and the dragging down of our nation. They drag down the fine men and women who work in our auto industry, who, with retraining and support—which is what we will do—will have the skills and know-how to go from strength to strength. This negativity does us enormous damage.

Let us not forget that under Labor 130,000 jobs were lost in manufacturing. Let us talk about jobs under Labor. In my region, 510 workers from Ford lost their job under Labor. They said they had a plan, but they monumentally failed to save Ford. Their plan simply did not work. At Boral there were 90 jobs lost, and at Fonterra there were 130 jobs lost, and, let me assure you, the carbon tax on manufacturing was one of the major factors because it drives up the cost of energy and that drives up the cost of manufacturing.

What are we doing? We have a $100 million growth fund underpinned by the work of the Industry and Manufacturing Economic Review Panel. We are focused on the challenges, but we are focused on what we can do: investing in advanced manufacturing, food processing, IT and communications. In my region, we have the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund, a $24.5 million fund there to directly grow jobs. We are building the roads of the 21st century, investing in infrastructure, duplicating the Princes Highway, upgrading the Great Ocean Road and investing in science, innovation and agriculture through initiatives like the Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Golden Plains intensive agricultural precinct.

We have a bright future in manufacturing. Do not allow the Labor Party to drag our nation down. We are doing some amazing work in Geelong in carbon fibre production, and we are bringing the headquarters of the National Disability Insurance Agency—and, yes, the NDIA was an initiative of the previous government—to Geelong. Today I was with a delegation headed by the City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Councillor Darryn Lyons. We are fighting tooth and nail for a big part of the LAND 400 Defence project, a $10 billion project, and we are not giving up. We have a great deal of confidence, and through our policies we will build the jobs of the future. We will not be dragged down by Labor's negativity and we will not be dragged down by the way that they are telling us that they do not have the solutions. I can tell you that, after the last six years, it has been a monumental failure and we are working very hard to turn that around.

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