Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was my absolute pleasure last week to introduce my colleague and friend the shadow minister for the digital economy and member for Chifley to the remarkable women responsible for creating the Lab Factory in Rockingham. Donna Bates, Diana Henderson and Kate Stagg are the brains behind The Lab Factory. Shorthand for The Collaborative Factory, it is an innovative business delivering a co-working space that is so much more than just a serviced work environment. The Lab Factory is providing a space where committed individuals and businesses come together to work alongside each other and develop and gain skills from each other's shared expertise and knowledge. It is enabling established businesses and start-ups to invest in a collaborative environment with a shared goal of seeing those engaged in the workplace flourish.

It is an example of how local businesses across Brand are innovating and driving commerce in local economies as the economy changes. My electorate of brand has been hit hard by the changing economy as the mining and construction boom has ended. There is high unemployment across the cities of Kwinana and Rockingham but there is also hope. Visiting The Lab Factory with Ed Husic and talking to the team, we saw that people are willing to look beyond the jobs of the past to create new opportunities into the future. Donna, Diana and Kate are creating a dynamic and unique workspace in Rockingham, which is allowing a mix of businesses from start-ups to established enterprises to collaborate, share and innovate. Together, these businesses are successfully challenging the status quo. I wish them the very best of luck into the future.

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