Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the importance of manufacturing for our nation, particularly our regional areas; and

(b) that Australia has suffered nearly a decade of policy-drift ranking last in the OECD when it comes to manufacturing self-sufficiency;

(2) recognises the Government is delivering on its commitment to establish the National Reconstruction Fund, which will:

(a) create secure, well-paid jobs;

(b) diversify Australian industry to drive sustainable growth to create future prosperity;

(c) build our capability to manufacture high-value products for the world; and

(d) drive economic development in our regions and outer suburbs;

(3) acknowledges that the Government is rebuilding Australia's manufacturing capacity to build a stronger and more resilient future; and

(4) further notes that the Government is delivering its plan to:

(a) create a better future for Australians by investing to support and stimulate regional manufacturing; and

(b) implement a National Rail Manufacturing Plan to support the rail industry and create more skilled manufacturing jobs.

I want to talk about why Australia needs to boost its performance in manufacturing and what the Albanese Labor government is doing to achieve that goal. Over the last decade Australia's manufacturing sector has been allowed to deteriorate. This is despite its vital importance to our economy and to the current and future living standards of our community. Three trends illustrate our decline and the challenges facing Australia. Firstly, a 2020 report by the OECD that ranked Australia last among member economies for manufacturing self-sufficiency. Secondly, and more recently, Harvard University's economic complexity index has tracked Australia's decline between the years 2000 and 2020 from ranking 55th to 91st. And, thirdly, between 2013 and May 2022 the number of manufacturing jobs fell by nearly 70,000, despite a growing economy and workforce. Labor wants to build a stronger and more resilient future. That requires a modern, growing and diverse manufacturing industry that delivers secure, high-skill, high-wage jobs. The Albanese government is committed to driving the transformation of Australian industry and reviving our ability to make world-class products in Australia for domestic consumption and for exporting. We are acting to create high-value jobs across the economy and to help Australians learn the skills needed for the jobs of the future.

One example is Labor's National Reconstruction Fund. The $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund is one of Australia's biggest government investments in manufacturing in living memory. This fund is exactly what Australia needs now. It will drive economic development in our regions and outer suburbs and boost our sovereign capability, diversify the nation's economy and help create secure jobs. This is just one Albanese-government policy to rebuild and modernise Australian manufacturing. Others include 180,000 fee-free TAFE and VET places to build our skills base; more affordable child care; grants to stimulate regional manufacturing; a national strategy to create a local battery industry as we move towards more renewable energy; a national rail manufacturing strategy; and 20,000 extra university places, including 936 additional places for the University of Wollongong, to train more teachers, nurses and engineers. These additional places represent an injection of $29 million into our Illawarra economy and community. My own electorate of Cunningham and the broader Illawarra already have a strong manufacturing base, but there's plenty of room to expand and diversify our base.

As I said in my first speech in this place, the Illawarra has the people, workers, resources, public and private sector organisations, schools, TAFEs and universities to be a growing manufacturing resource for the country. Already, the Albanese government has invested in our manufacturing future, including by recognising our role in moving to sustainable, renewable energy supplies. These federal investments include a $10 million energy futures skills centre for the University of Wollongong; a renewable energy training centre for Wollongong TAFE, supported by a $2.5 million investment; and $8.98 million to Hysata to work with Germany's Fraunhofer IPT to develop new facilities to deliver low-cost hydrogen in Port Kembla, a development about which Paul Barrett, the CEO of Hysata, observed:

Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be a global leader in green hydrogen and we are delighted to see the Government backing Australian innovators. Our technology will enhance sovereign manufacturing capabilities, create high skilled jobs and position Australia as a green hydrogen powerhouse …

There is also $800,000 to ATCO Australia, in partnership with Fraunhofer, for a feasibility study into deploying an electrolyser and ammonia facility to make advancements in hydrogen technologies and storage in the Illawarra. These recent initiatives followed Labor's announcement last August that the Illawarra is one of six proposed offshore wind energy regions. This investment in wind energy will underwrite the Illawarra's manufacturing future.

The Illawarra has long been a place of steel, mining and heavy industry. That and our deepwater port, great training and education facilities, skilled workers, large and small businesses and a growing services sector are a perfect base for expanding our manufacturing performance. Combining our strengths with an ambitious and supportive Albanese federal government and, hopefully, an incoming Labor state government in New South Wales means that the Illawarra will be part of the urgent regrowth and expansion of Australia's manufacturing sector.

See this speech in context