Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Wakefield for bringing this matter to the attention of the House. This is indeed an important matter, as the State of the industry 2017 report from the Australian Food and Grocery Council points out, with the statistics the member for Wakefield alluded to earlier. I just want to repeat a couple of those, because they are critical statistics: a $127 billion industry with some 320,000 people employed directly in it. You have 30,700 small business—small, medium and even large businesses—around Australia, a $67 billion trade business with, I understand, nearly half of that being exports out of Australia to overseas destinations. That's the magnitude of the industry that we're talking about. But it's important because it's an industry that can and will continue to grow. In fact I see it as one of the areas we could, with a fair degree of confidence, invest in because it has not only grown year after year for many years but the potential for growth is indeed there. And not only can it grow; it, in turn, means that there is potential for additional employment in the industry at a time that it is badly needed in Australia. This can literally happen now. It's not an industry where we have to wait years or decades for it to come on board and reach fruition. It's an industry that already exists and the opportunity for growth is there. When I speak to people within it, which I have done continuously since I've been in this place, I see the opportunities are unlimited.

Just as importantly, it's an industry that will provide employment for people who don't have university degrees but who are, nevertheless, committed workers who develop unique and needed skills and become specialists in what they do. It is an area that we should be focusing on as much as any other because, as I said a moment ago, not everyone wants to or can go to university, for a whole range of different reasons. One young person I spoke to, who had the intelligence and the academic achievements to go to university, simply didn't want to. He wanted to actually work with his hands in an industry where he could do some physical work. If we're going to talk about diversity in this country, diversity shouldn't just be about the national identity of someone or their religion; it should also be about people's characteristics, their personal make-up and what they want to do in life. That is what true diversity is about.

Australia has an opportunity to grow this industry, because Australia's clean, green image is out there, whether we're exporting fresh food or processed food. In both cases, there is a demand for Australian food, as we saw with the demand for infant formula in China. It was a good example of the demand being there when something is made in Australia. Indeed, when we went through the 'made in Australia' inquiry in this country, we heard that that very term—'made in Australia'—is a term that is sellable because it has a value attached to it. When people know that food is grown or processed in Australia, they have confidence in the way it is made.

In my own region, we have many local food producers. I won't go through them all but I want to touch on a couple. Whether it's Coopers Brewery, Bickford's, Ingham's Chicken, Vili's pastries, Haigh's Chocolates or National Foods, they are good examples of industries that have not only grown but employed people in large numbers in the region. And I could go on. I'm pleased to see that Bickford's, in fact, only the other day bought out Vale Ales as part of their growth in the state. I've watched their growth over the years. I have to say it's a terrific example of someone who is on a journey forward with their particular industry sector.

As the member for Wakefield has quite rightly said, GMH is going to close because of the incompetence and the short-sightedness of the Abbott-Turnbull government. That will mean there will be thousands of people unemployed. There will be 950 people who will stop work on Friday, and there will be thousands more in the supporting industries to car making in this country. It's a shame that, after 69 years of car making, the brand name Holden will no longer be made. Those people need work and they need it now. They don't need it in two, three or four years time. The food, beverage and grocery sector is one area where, with a little bit of government support, the growth is waiting to be taken up.

Labor has committed to a $1 billion futures fund to assist manufacturers in this country. That would be a terrific start if we form government. But, again, what is this government doing? It's not doing enough. It's not doing enough to support the growers. It should take note of the importance of this sector within our industries.

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