Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how Australia’s manufacturers are performing in international export markets? What contribution are manufacturing exports making to our economy, particularly in my electorate of Greenway?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Greenway for her question. Of course, the member for Greenway would have recognised that the trade statistics that came out last week showed that in 2005-06 the overall output of our exports was $192 billion—a significant increase on the previous year—and that manufactured exports made a significant contribution to that: they had increased by 12 per cent on the previous year. So, out of $192 billion worth of exports of goods and services, our manufacturing exports increased by 12 per cent, to a record $39.5 billion.

There are a couple of examples from the member for Greenway’s electorate that contributed to that. Antec Engineering in Blacktown export furnace parts to markets such as Japan, and Circuitlink International in Seven Hills export electronic equipment for the automotive industry. They are a part of that record of $39.5 billion worth of exports.

Some of the other big performers in this category are as follows. Aluminium was up 28 per cent to a record $4.8 billion. Unworked copper was up 59 per cent to $2.1 billion. Motor vehicle exports increased 14 per cent to a record $3.1 billion. And medicines rose 18 per cent to a record $3 billion.

It is interesting that that area of high-tech manufacturing—the medications sector—increased 18 per cent to $3 billion. I need to highlight one of those great success stories as far as medicines are concerned—one that is of personal interest to me—and that is Peplin Biotech Ltd, which produce a topical gel for treating non-melanoma skin cancer. They are exporting to the world a medicine that has been developed in Australia. The operation was opened on the Gold Coast by Ian Macfarlane—the industry minister Ian Macfarlane!—and there was no mistake by the staff at Peplin on who they had opening the plant. But, importantly, the point should be made that our exports are growing across the full sector and particularly in that biotech area. It is very important, and we recognise that.

So, since the coalition came to power, manufactured exports have increased by 53 per cent. I have seen the comments by the Leader of the Opposition, talking about how they grew under Labor, but we should recognise that they were right down on a low base. What they need to recognise is the fact—

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tanner interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Melbourne!

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that manufactured exports—

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tanner interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne is warned!

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

have grown up to $39.5 billion. We have gone from $99 billion worth of exports in 1996 to $192 billion worth in 2006. There is a whole range of government policies that are assisting the manufacturing industries in Australia to export to the world, whether they be the sound economic management that we have given this country or the workplace reforms that we have introduced to ensure that they can remain competitive and produce more jobs in the Australian economy.