Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In my electorate of Lindsay there are over 600 manufacturers employing over 6,000 people. Across Australia, our national manufacturing industry supports over 850,000 jobs. I want this number to grow, particularly in Western Sydney, empowering Australian manufacturers to create and sustain more local jobs.

I was proud to bring the Prime Minister to Lindsay to meet with many of our local Aussie manufacturers, transforming the factory floor into a roundtable at Plustec in Emu Plains, who manufacture high-quality Australian-made windows and doors. The Prime Minister heard directly from local manufacturers directly how our national policies are being implemented on the ground. Our local manufacturers SpanSet, Grant Engineered and RKR Engineering and so many more create and sustain local jobs that support local families and make our community such a great place to live, work and stay. But to be competitive and to create more local jobs, Australian manufacturing needs affordable, reliable energy.

As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that we deliver long-term support for our manufacturers, and gas will play a key role from creating plastics for essential PPE to the fertiliser used in our food production. The government's plan focuses on unlocking supply, improving the efficiency of transportation and empowering consumers to get the best price. Under this government, gas prices have dropped in the domestic market. Wholesale gas prices on the East Coast during 2020 were around 40 per cent lower than prices in 2019. We're continuing to implement measures that will put downward pressure on energy prices, helping local manufacturers in my electorate of Lindsay and right across Australia.

John, from ACO Australia in Emu Plains—in Lindsay—joined me and the PM at our manufacturing roundtable. ACO uses gas predominantly to power their rotomolding plant, manufacturing items for use in the construction industry. John noted the recent decrease in gas costs has improved the efficiency of his business. This is part of a consistent drop in gas expenses over the last year, going from almost $10,000 per month in early 2020 down to around $7,000 earlier this year. John told me that this is allowing ACO to invest more back into their business and this is what it is all about—investing in business and creating more local jobs.

This is how delivering affordable, reliable energy gives manufacturers in Australia the certainty so they can scale up and expand. The importance of energy costs is well-known across all industries. I was pleased to have the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, with me in Penrith to meet with manufacturers and other local businesses. I have being doing this a lot to ensure our local manufacturers have a say. We can then look at how our national policies are affecting our local businesses. The minister and I had a wide-ranging discussion on all things energy because we know how important it is.

In February this year, the Australian Energy Regulator released its draft determination for the default market offer for 2021. The government introduced the default market offer in July 2019 to protect customers from excessively high standing-offer contracts and to make it easier for customers to shop around and compare prices. This has delivered meaningful impacts for local households and businesses. Compared to before the introduction of the default market offer, a family in St Mary's could be saving up to $802 per year on their electricity bill, while a hairdresser or cafe now could be paying up to $3,300 less per year on their electricity bills. For families, this means more money back into pockets. And for the 15,000 small and medium size businesses in Lindsay, this means they can invest more in their business, grow, expand and support more local jobs.

This is just one of the ways the Morrison government's committed to driving down energy prices, supporting Australian households and businesses, not just now but into the future. The future of our manufacturing industry in Western Sydney is full of potential. The minister for industry and I got to see this firsthand at SydWest Global Connections Tech Startup Accelerator Program at Western Sydney University's Launch Pad. The government committed $250,000 to establish this program, focusing on supporting start-ups that have the potential to grow and create more local jobs. This is what it is about because when we're backing our local industry, when we are backing our local small businesses, our economy is strong, and that is what I will always be doing for our community in Lindsay.

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