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

I thank the member for Swan for that question from someone who gets that strong, modern economies need strong, modern manufacturing capability because it makes our economies more resilient and creates secure, well-paid blue collar jobs in our regions and our outer suburbs. It's why manufacturing sits at the heart of our Future Made in Australia plans, released last night.

Our $23 billion Future Made in Australia package is about mobilising Australian manufacturing to make the things that will help us to get to net zero, such as investments to boost the refining of our critical minerals that then go into making batteries. Under our plan more batteries will be made right here by the Battery Breakthrough Initiative. Investing in green hydrogen will help fuel a green metals future. Our Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund will advance next generation Aussie manufacturing know-how. Our plan guarantees a strong, secure future for working families in our industrial heartlands. For example, in the Illawarra, there will be work in the manufacture of industrial-scale hydrogen electrolysers at Hysata and at Gladstone, where we backed electrolyser manufacturing at FFI. In south-west WA, we're investing in new battery and minerals processing know-how.

Blue-collar workers in those regions can see our plans for the future. When they look to those opposite, there's no plan and no future. In fact, everything that the coalition believes about Australian manufacturing can be written on a white flag. They always give up on Australian manufacturing. They drove out Aussie car manufacturers nearly 10 years ago, and, even today, the Manager of Opposition Business declared that that was absolutely the right decision. The deputy opposition leader calls Australian manufacturing a 'graveyard'. Ironically, she's the shadow minister for industry. The shadow Treasurer, because we should never forget him, described the very idea of backing manufacturing and manufacturing workers as 'bizarre'. That was from the shadow Treasurer.

Tomorrow, the Leader of the Opposition has got a chance to lay out a plan to back Australian manufacturing and blue-collar workers. Is he going to do something to grow manufacturing, or will he do what Liberals normally do, which is surrender and give up on Australian manufacturing? Or will he come up with another shoddy coalition grants program that manufactures colour-coded spreadsheets that slosh cash around in marginal seats? His political interests are always prioritised above the national interest. He needs to come up with a plan for manufacturing tomorrow, and we'll be waiting to see what he says. (Time expired)

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