Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month the Minister for Defence was in Newcastle cutting ribbons with the member for Paterson, and they missed a perfect opportunity to deliver certainty to shipbuilding workers and their families. Rather than secure the future of the industry in Newcastle by expediting naval patrol boat work promised last year, the Minister for Defence and the member for Paterson just offered more excuses.

We are facing the loss of an entire industry, and our shipbuilding capability may be lost forever. Thousands of jobs around the country will be lost, and this island nation will lose its ability to build our own naval fleet.

In the 18 months since the Abbott Liberal government was elected, we have had nothing but a failure to deliver a plan for Australian jobs and industry. Hundreds of Newcastle jobs are in danger, because of this government's inaction, and local shipbuilder Forgacs announced more than 100 job losses this month while flagging that their entire workforce may be out of a job by Christmas.

The Abbott Liberal government has done nothing for the shipbuilders of Newcastle and it is costing hundreds of people their jobs. Since Tony Abbott was elected, the unemployment rate in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie has more than doubled and his government continues to sit on their hands. I have met with Forgacs' workers and unions, I joined them at rallies and had the Leader of the Opposition at the dock. The shadow minister for defence and the shadow assistant minister for defence have also visited Forgacs, and a Senate inquiry, led by Labor, has been to Newcastle. I have consistently raised this issue in parliament. (Time expired)