Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

They're all very, very good. Do you know why I mention it? Because it represents this: 10 years wasted by those opposite and 10 years where they picked fights. That was the biggest lot of work that they did—just pick fights and not get on with the job! They didn't focus on the types of things that the member for Hasluck just raised about new industries, getting new things done and looking at the way in which we can create jobs—particularly in different parts of the country and in our regions as well. It's also looking at the ways to satisfy industry needs for new generation of energy and being able to do it in a way that cuts emissions and increases jobs. To be able to do that is very important.

The National Reconstruction Fund, as much as it is about increasing manufacturing capability, is about satisfying the need to generate new energy, to create jobs and to do it with lower emissions in the process. The types of things that the $3 billion investment—particularly the $3 billion subfund which was factored into our targets for reducing emissions—will support us to do is create the jobs that we need to deliver a clean energy future. Think about things like building components for wind turbines; making batteries and solar panels; investing in new types of livestock feed to reduce methane emissions; modernising the production of steel and aluminium; building hydrogen electrolysers; and finding innovative packaging solutions to reduce waste. All these are very important investments and mean jobs, jobs, jobs out of the National Reconstruction Fund. And research tells us that 75 per cent of new energy jobs could be created in regional Australia by 2035—huge!

The biggest threat we've got happens in the coalition party room, which I'm genuinely concerned is a mass-hypnosis event. They bring in the RSL entertainment and the person says, 'When I click my fingers, you'll forget 10 years'—

Honourable members interjecting—

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