Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is now almost a month since Toyota announced that they would be closing their manufacturing plant in Altona, a month since the 2½ thousand workers at Toyota went home and told their families that they would not have a job in the future. This decision will have a momentous impact on my electorate, not only for the 2½ thousand workers now facing unemployment but for the thousands of manufacturers of component parts who have now lost their main source of work. This harm may be multiplied with the potential loss of more than 1,000 jobs at the BAE shipyards in Williamstown in the coming months.

Action is required to address this employment shock looming in my electorate. A comprehensive plan is needed to mitigate the damage done by the Abbott government. However, the Abbott government has still not acted. The Abbott government initially promised a support package for the workers of Toyota, who are currently facing the stress of an uncertain economic future alone. So far the only thing the Abbott government has provided is blame—and they have directed that blame at Toyota's workers, as if these workers are somehow responsible for the federal government refusing to assist the industry and for the loss of their jobs.

What is needed right now is a retraining and assistance package for these workers. The Abbott government must act now and act decisively. Toyota workers are planning for their future post Toyota now. They are thinking about their economic prospects now. They need assistance from the government now.

If the government has no ideas on what this assistance package should contain, it can start by investing in the three-point plan proposed by Labor. Firstly, it should provide a $200 million innovation and investment fund to bring new manufacturing projects to Adelaide and Melbourne. This will allow new Australian start-ups in the high-tech manufacturing sector to flourish and attract international businesses seeking high-tech manufacturing labour. Secondly, it must invest in skills training and redundancy assistance for these workers and support the workers who are unable to find alternative employment by establishing Altona as a priority employment area. It should also provide targeted employment support to the local employment coordinator in Altona.

Finally, the Abbott government must accelerate defence contracts to bring jobs to Melbourne's west. New defence contracts at Williamstown could secure more than 1,000 current jobs in Williamstown while retaining the shipbuilding skills that Australia could use to form the foundation of a strongly growing industry in the future as the construction of supply ships, patrol boats and future frigates for the Australian Navy continues in the coming decades.

The manufacturing sector in Melbourne's west is facing tough times. However, I know that the Labor Party is strongly committed to assisting the workers who have been abandoned by this Liberal government. I will support my constituents as much as possible so that the impact on families in Melbourne's west is minimised and workers can successfully transfer into alternative lines of work. The Prime Minister may have forgotten the workers of Melbourne's west, but the Labor Party and I will do all that we can to ensure these workers are not abandoned.