Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The future of battery manufacturing is here. It's already happening in my home electorate of Swan, in Bentley. On 11 July, the cathode precursor pilot plant opened at Curtin University. This facility will help design and build battery-manufacturing facilities on a commercial and industrial scale. It will also help the talents of our next generation of chemical and process engineers to ensure that we have the capacity to develop our battery-manufacturing industry. This development is possible because of a collaboration between industry, researchers, and the state and federal governments. But more work needs to be done to develop the confidence of our battery manufacturers and researchers.

I welcome this government's commitment to develop a national battery strategy, because I know that, with government leadership, we can develop the sector's confidence and attract investment into this critically important future industry. I know that, if we can develop our nation's manufacturing capabilities, it will mean stable jobs, high-paying jobs, and good jobs, particularly for the residents of Swan.

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