Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia's manufacturing policy was in desperate need of revival after a decade of apathy and ambivalence from those opposite. Fixing this has been a priority of this government since being elected just shy of two years ago. Australia—and, indeed, my electorate of Spence—has a proud manufacturing past. Elizabeth: built for manufacturing; an industry that provided jobs to thousands of Australians and cars to millions more. However, due to the economic Darwinism of Joe Hockey and the Abbott Liberal government, Holden were dared to leave Australia, and they did. The recovery from this decision was a long one and proof positive of a need for a government that doesn't look at our manufacturing past with wistful nostalgia but one that will ensure we have a strong, vibrant and resilient manufacturing industry here in the present. We can't rewind the clock. But we can ensure that Australia has a manufacturing future, a future made in Australia, and the Albanese Labor government have set out to do just that.

Almost a year ago to the day, this parliament passed legislation to establish the National Reconstruction Fund, a $15 billion fund that will finance key industries and priorities for the Australia of today and of tomorrow—industries that add value to the raw materials and critical minerals that are prized and sought-after across the globe. Our land abounds in nature's gifts, but we should be adding value to those gifts after they have been extracted from the ground. It's why the NRF is looking at key industries that add value to what we already produce and those bolstering our sovereign capability, to build on our economic and strategic interests. A truly sovereign nation is one that controls its economic destiny, harnesses its resources and cultivates industries that can stand tall on the world stage. 'Australian made' is not just a label we take great pride in. It is something worth continuing to support as a government and as consumers ourselves.

Despite that, I can certainly remember, a year ago, where those opposite were sitting during the divisions which paved the way for the creation of the National Reconstruction Fund. It's policies like this, and the many that followed to complement it, such as the Industry Growth Program through to finally having a coherent defence industry policy, that will keep advanced manufacturing alive and prospering. Our policies will ensure that the many companies and industries that have grown to fill the void left by the closure of Holden in Spence will have an environment in which to thrive. From the many companies involved in our defence manufacturing industry—AML3D, Sonnex, Century Engineering, Williams Metal Fabrications, and Eptec from the Edinburgh Industry Alliance—to those in the renewable sector, such as Aquila Clean Energy and LMS Energy, with projects on the ground in Spence, they know that they have the backing of a government that supports investment in renewable energy technologies and battery storage.

This again contrasts with those opposite, who took the wheels off the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and put it on bricks. Their record in renewables then and now speaks for itself. We all remember the Leader of the Opposition, not too long ago, once more rubbishing renewable energy, posing the existential question to us all: what happens when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? Where did this flimsy argument even come from? It was probably from somewhere where the sun indeed doesn't shine and where the wind occasionally blows—adjacent to the 'suppository of all wisdom'.

Battery storage is an industry that, unless those opposite have their way, is tipped to be worth close to $17 billion and to create 61,000 jobs by 2030 in the manufacturing side alone. Nestled somewhere alongside his worldview, battery storage has no part to play in securing Australia's clean energy future. Though usually figurative, his first option is to take the nuclear one. It's an appropriate strategy for a party that registers on the Geiger counter in this policy space. They went from white-anting renewables to white elephants.

They have finally jettisoned their initial nuclear fantasy, one that reflected how the Liberal Party approaches policy in opposition—small and reactive. It's something that would see us having two options: purchase Russian or Chinese reactors. Frankly, I'd rather our pathway toward a net-zero future be built right here with its beliefs being shared by our government. A Future Made in Australia isn't some hollow slogan like the many we have heard from those opposite over the years. This means something; it means jobs and it means economic prosperity across this country. It is a future that our government is getting on with delivering.

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