James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Waste Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed—go, team! Can I start by commending my coalition colleagues the deputy leader and the Manager of Opposition Business on the important questions that they've put to the minister with regard to the scrutiny of the government's industry policy. I won't reiterate the points they've made, although I particularly highlight the very serious issues that the Manager of Opposition Business has raised about the PsiQuantum computing decision that has been made—a billion dollars, it seems, of taxpayer funds across the Commonwealth and Queensland government there, with some very serious questions to answer. It is a really concerning approach to the prudent management of taxpayer funds and also the way in which people—particularly Australian businesses—are given a fair opportunity to seek support from their own government. That doesn't seem to be an overly controversial principle, which I thought we'd all be seeking to honour. The answers from the minister will be keenly anticipated by myself and my colleagues because that one's very serious.

I just want to raise a couple of additional matters as questions to the minister on top of what my other colleagues have already raised. Obviously, the National Reconstruction Fund was legislated over a year ago, and we're extremely concerned about the progress of that. We didn't support it at the time, and, unfortunately, a lot of the concerns we had are proving to be very true. I start by asking the minister to inform this chamber: How much money has actually been provided so far from that fund to Australian manufacturers? How many jobs can they quantify have been created so far from that? It's been more than a year.

I also ask the minister about the National Reconstruction Fund. It's very curious that this fund was created a year ago and, a year later, what is essentially a whole new industry policy has been outlined—this 'made in Australia' policy. That is, very curiously, the sort of language you'd hear an opinion pollster recommend to a political campaign manager: 'You've got a problem out there with people thinking you're not doing enough for Australian industry. Why don't you create a policy called 'made in Australia'? We've run it past some focus groups, and they think that sounds good.' One wonders whether the terminology emanated from there. Particularly, I ask the minister to justify the $54 million in this fund. It seems to be for some kind of publicity advertising campaign—curiously, to be run over the next 12 months in the 2024-25 financial year. That's also an election year, I think. If I've got it right, the happy coincidence is that the government will be spending $54 million advertising the 'made in Australia' campaign during an election year.

One wonders, in terms of people watching the football or the nightly news, what call to action from the government is required of the average citizen in this country under the 'made in Australia' fund? It's all about tax break for billionaires and all the rest of it. You could easily write a letter to every billionaire, and it would cost about $1.20 a billionaire—or, as it's Australia Post, possibly more than $2 a billionaire. You could send them a letter. I think the people who are going to access this fund could be informed about it, if they haven't already read about it in the newspaper, for about $54, not $54 million. Just write them a letter and tell them about it, because the people to benefit under this are an exclusive group of billionaires, yet the government seem to be planning on running a big glitzy television advertising campaign to all Australians about 'made in Australia'. I'd love to hear the minister explain why a big television campaign is required for the elements of that program.

I'd also ask the minister to explain to all my friends in the space industry why this government doesn't back the space industry and why they've ripped billions of dollars out of space. I'm the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Space Industry, and all my friends in the space sector want to know why this government doesn't see any value in investing in space. I couldn't think of a more exciting opportunity for future industry than space. It is going to be central to everything. Even our most traditional industries, like mining and agriculture, have an exciting future through space technology. I do ask the minister: why is it that all that money is ripped out of space and what are they are spending it on? PsiQuantum—American companies without proper process for Aussie companies to get a chance to be considered for that money. At the same time, the space industry is missing out. So I finish by asking the minister to explain to the space industry: What have they done wrong? Why don't you back them and their future in this country?

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