Gladys Liu (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is backing Australia's medical products manufacturers to grow and create new jobs as we continue our recovery from COVID-19 recession?

Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question. Last Friday, I was thrilled to be in the member for Chisholm's electorate. We officially opened a new manufacturing wing of Planet Innovation, a cutting-edge med-tech and commercialisation company in the electorate of Chisholm. Planet Innovation stepped up during COVID-19. They were involved in the manufacture of ventilators. They are really a very good example of the sorts of businesses that are helping to drive our economy post COVID-19.

When it comes to manufacturing, Planet Innovation does the whole lot from research and design, right the way through to in-house production. They create breakthrough products as well as commercially successful spinoff businesses. What they are doing is actually demonstrating what this government is planning to achieve through our modern manufacturing strategy, which is to start to bring the entire smiling curve into manufacturing, which goes all the way from research and development and design, through the production processes, through to the distribution, after sales and marketing at the end of it. They're a very good example of that. They are doing such great work in the medical products sector, which is exactly what this Morrison government is hoping to achieve.

Over the last 12 months alone they have created an additional 100 jobs in manufacturing. They have plans over the next four years to grow that number so that there will be an additional 700 jobs. This again is exactly what we will be achieving through the $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy, which we are already rolling out right across Australia. It's a clear demonstration of why medical products is one of our very significant six national manufacturing priorities.

We do have a very strong and very proud history of pioneering many commercially successful medical products that have made it onto the world stage, from the green whistle pain reliever through to cochlear implants and, of course, the cervical cancer vaccine. Australia does really bat above its weight here. We have a significantly strong medical products sector. The Morrison government is absolutely committed to doing all it can to support that sector to grow so that it can create more jobs so that the manufacturing sector here in Australia can continue to grow and make sure that there are jobs for future generations of Australians.