Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks to the honourable member for her very important question. It is a very good day for manufacturing jobs in Australia, with the passage of the National Reconstruction Fund bill through the parliament. Again, I'm sure honourable members will join me in congratulating the Minister for Industry and Science for his work in getting this bill passed through both houses of parliament.

If the last few years have reminded us of anything, it's the importance of sovereign capability—the ability of our country to make things and the ability of our country to supply our own needs as much as possible in key strategic industries. That's also important for our renewable energy transformation. Making the things that make renewable energy is the key to our economic success. That's the case in particular in relation to aluminium, alumina, steel and cement.

The House knows that business has been very supportive of the government's reform agenda. We recognise, again, the support of the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group, ACCI, the Investor Group on Climate Change and many other groups. I want to particularly mention today the support received from Manufacturing Australia for the changes announced to the safeguard reform earlier in the week. The CEO of Manufacturing Australia, Ben Eade, said:

Australia has profound opportunities to create and retain high quality jobs, grow its manufacturing sector … through a carefully managed transition to low emissions manufacturing.

Of course that's the case. That's why this government's package, which has passed the House and is currently receiving scrutiny in the Senate—which scrutiny I am confident will go well—has emphasised the importance of those strategic industries and of manufacturing across the board. Manufacturing, increasingly, will be required, for domestic purposes and for export purposes, to show their decarbonisation plans.

See this speech in context