Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make a contribution on the extremely important Future Made in Australia Bill 2024 and Future Made in Australia (Omnibus Amendments No. 1) Bill 2024. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit VEEM, a company with headquarters in Canning Vale in my electorate of Tangney. VEEM designs and manufactures high-technology marine propulsion and stabilisation systems for industry, including the defence industry. It was my absolute pleasure to welcome and host the Hon. Richard Marles on a visit to VEEM's headquarters, where we had the opportunity to learn about the company's commitment to innovation.

With cutting-edge technology and a state-of-the-art facility right in the heart of Tangney, VEEM is a great Tangney success story. And, with AUKUS opening global supply chain opportunities to Australian companies, VEEM is one example of how the Albanese Labor government is creating jobs and opportunities while supporting local businesses. I saw how VEEM prioritised research and development to meet the evolving needs of the defence, marine and aerospace industries. The local manufacturing industry has well-paid jobs and leading technology. It was wonderful to see, and it made me incredibly proud to be their representative. Half of what VEEM produces is exported around the world. This is an example of what Tangney and what Australia is and can do for the world.

In Tangney alone there are many factories and many local businesses with hardworking, highly skilled and talented professionals who are making the most of our resources and potential to manufacture for Australia and for the world. We have high-tech companies that are making advances for the world. We have skills and innovation that I am happy to see in Tangney and that I am proud to champion and advocate for.

The government's Future Made in Australia plan is about making things in Australia. It is about maximising the economic and industrial benefits of the global transformation to net zero and ensuring Australia's place is secure and valued as part of the global economy and strategic landscape. This plan is a positive vision for a bright future, and one where the Australian economy is more secure, more diversified and more resilient. A future powered by renewable energy—with Australia as a renewable energy superpower.

This legislation will help Australia build a stronger, more diversified and more resilient economy that is powered by renewable energy. It will create more secure, well-paid jobs. It is about encouraging and facilitating the private sector investment required to make Australia an indispensable part of the global net zero economy. This bill is about seizing the opportunity that we have now to ensure that we all have a better future.

Our government understands the need for a technology-led, skilled and sustainable manufacturing industry so that we can fully participate in global markets for clean energy. By making things here and by adding value here, we have an opportunity to secure jobs for this generation and for more generations to come.

In my community of Tangney, many of my constituents ask me about our competitiveness. Because the people of Tangney are so diverse, many of my constituents bring a global lens to our conversations. They see a global environment that is changing and changing fast. They are worried about how we can compete. They want to know how we will make our economy more secure. They ask about job opportunities and if they will be skilled and well-paid. They look at their children and they see the future and ask me what we are doing to make sure that people have the skills they need to succeed. We do not want to be left behind because it is not only about the opportunity, there is also an urgency. The time is now, so let's get it done.

When I lived in Malaysia I knew Australia to be famous for many of the products that it is still well-known and still well-respected for today. But today—now and for our future—we cannot just continue to rely on the same extracting and the same exporting that we have done before. For our future prosperity we need a vision, we need to be forward thinking and we need to add value.

I'm proud to be part of a government that not only has a vision for our future but is taking action to deliver it. We need to take the traditional strengths we have in resources and manufacturing to build new opportunities, including in critical mineral processing, green metals, clean energy technologies and also in low carbon fuels. With the resources we have, we stand to have a great advantage so we can create things that the world will want from us. Australians are full of good ideas and innovation, and this is about realising opportunity from our natural advantages. Our future growth prospects lie at an intersection of our industrial, resources, skill and energy bases, and how attractive we are for investment.

I speak in support of Future Made in Australia Bill 2024 and the Future Made in Australia (Omnibus Amendments No. 1) Bill 2024. These bills impose rigour on government decision-making and help give investors the clarity and certainty they need to invest and unlock growth in our economy. We want to attract and mobilise more investment. The National Interest Framework in the Future Made in Australia Bill will help identify where Australia has a genuine comparative advantage in the net zero economy, where we have economic security and resilient imperative. This is a smart and considered framework, and this legislation also establishes a robust sector assessment process to help improve understanding of how government can best leverage private investment in the area of economy aligned with the framework.

My Labor colleagues and I all want to see communities across Australia benefit from a future made in Australia. This bill defines a set of important community benefit principles so that public and private investment will support and strengthen our communities. Hand-in-hand is the focus on skill, training and education, because public education is a big part of our future. For our future prosperity, we need to ensure that Australia has the skilled labour force in the area of need so that we can achieve our Future Made in Australia ambitions. This plan is focused on closing the gap in key areas of skill shortages, with new places at university and TAFE, an investment in the clean energy workforce and skills areas that lead to better, well-paid jobs in good conditions and that better benefit our communities.

Western Australia has a central and vital role to play as part of the Future Made in Australia. Western Australia has a lot to offer: WA resources, minerals and metals, WA institutions and Western Australians themselves, including our workers and businesses. WA is full of ideas. Our universities and bright minds are focused on the latest research. Our skilled workforce has impressive knowledge from geology to robotics, and those skills continued to grow. The demand for those skills continues to grow as well. It grows because, as industry and the global landscape changes, Western Australia adapts alongside them. The resources industry has long been a major part of the WA economy, and it has made significant achievement because of the industry's ability to evolve and to never stay still. WA invests in clean energy. The state champions cutting-edge technology to help maximise potential opportunities, and it is ready for opportunities that may present themselves in the future. WA embraces innovation and the productivity gains that come along with it—just like we need to continue to do with the Future Made in Australia plan. Western Australia is a key part of the success of the Future Made in Australia plan, and our experience, skills and ideas will be needed as we explore new opportunities, seek out new investment and engage with global markets.

I'm proud to speak in support of this bill that is part of the government's $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia budget package, which includes production tax incentives for hydrogen and critical minerals, the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund, the Solar Sunshot program, the Battery Breakthrough Initiative, the National Interest Account and other initiatives to better attract and enable investment and make Australia an indispensable part of global supply chains, like VEEM and their propeller made of bronze and their gyro stabiliser in Tangney, which is one of the most advanced commercial facilities in the world, and other manufacturers and businesses in Tangney whose highly technical products are key parts of the global supply chains. Strengthening supply chains and ensuring that our talented people and their great ideas stay here—this is what this legislation is about.

Science and research technology are all at the forefront of a future made in Australia. And, just like a future made in Australia, it's not only one thing, one person or one industry. We all have a role to play in delivering this future—our future, made in Australia. I have been inspired to hear about the different local businesses across Tangney and learn about their work and the products that they export all over the world. I have been equally inspired by people in Tangney who are studying in these areas, people who are developing the skills we need in key areas and preparing for the future. Our government's investment in education, skills and training is so critical, as is, of course, the people who are developing the big ideas that can change the world. In my conversations with scientists, investors, small business owners, students and young people, I see so many people in Tangney with great ideas. A future made in Australia helps to back Australian innovation and science as well as the talents of our people. There is so much talent, skill and potential, and we cannot be afraid to have the necessary ambition to realise this potential. This plan is ambitious. (Time expired)

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