Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make my remarks regarding advanced manufacturing, particularly in growing the Australian space industry, and how that impacts not only my electorate of Oxley in the south-west suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich but also right across this country. I have listened to the previous speakers talk about what investment the Morrison government are allegedly making in advanced manufacturing and how they are world leaders. Unfortunately, the facts don't back up some of the claims that we've heard today. Sadly, the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, who has championed this project and exploration in the space sector by 2030 as a hallmark of the government, let the cat out of the bag yesterday when it was revealed that, of the $1.5 billion that was to be spent this financial year, only $40 million will be spent. That's less than three per cent of the funding slated in the budget for Australian manufacturing.

Manufacturing is critical to Australia's economic future. Advanced manufacturing is critical to the way that our country will trade in our region and across the globe. Sadly, yesterday's announcement by the minister confirmed that overall only about $40 million is to be spent before the end of the current financial year. Two weeks before, $1.5 billion was announced, but yesterday the minister confirmed only three per cent of that funding. As we always say, they're great on the headlines and the big-ticket items. Don't look at what the government say; look at what they do. Yesterday the minister confirmed that, despite the big headlines and the pomp and ceremony, the government is found wanting when it comes to manufacturing and advanced manufacturing.

I want to focus my remarks today on highlighting a fantastic business in my electorate. Located in the suburb of Darra is a company called PFi, or Products For Industry. PFi has spent several years on a mission to understand the space industry, to bring real forward-thinking and innovative solutions and to help Australians learn and experience more about space and industry. I pay tribute to CEO Nick Green and all of the team at this brilliant local company. I have had a number of discussions with them—I have taken a number of shadow ministers there—and we have learned that as a nation we have about 50 years to catch up on and that, if Australia is to play a significant role in the space industry, we have to do a lot more in education—all the way from primary school to advanced education, engineering degrees and of course trades and apprentices.

To this end, PFi Aerospace has been recognised by Northrop Grumman as developing a world-leading STEM program to help Australia make up this shortfall. They have some fantastic plans, and this week I will be writing to the minister, the Honourable Karen Andrews, asking her to see what the federal government can do to expand this company. Northrop Grumman has said of the PFi Aerospace STEM program: 'Their innovative, collaborative approach in design thinking developed a world-leading educational tool and demonstrated their ability to engage the wider community'.

Australia's manufacturing output is worth around US$270 billion. It ranks last on self-sufficiency against all other OECD economies, including countries such as Japan which produce more manufactured output than they consume. The March 2018 review of Australia's space industry stated, 'Countries with commercially focused space agencies, such as the UK, Canada, France and Norway, invest in space to grow and diversify their economies at a rate between 0.16 per cent and 0.7 per cent of GDP in space agency funding alone'.

Research suggests that for every dollar invested in space technology and development today approximately $40 return is secured. In addition, for every trained engineer in Australia, at least 15 highly skilled tradespeople are required. We know there has been a skills shortage and a trades shortage in this country. In my electorate, thousands of apprenticeships have been lost over the last seven years and it is time the government really took this industry seriously to make sure that we can encourage and enhance—and do what we can to support businesses, not only in my electorate but right across Australia, to reach their full potential and to deal with the economic recovery as we move forward, but also to look at employing particularly local people in my local community.

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