Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry and Science. What action is the Albanese Labor government taking to create manufacturing jobs, and what challenges is it facing?

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, for that question, to the member, who comes from South Australia. South Australians get it. There are close to 7,000 manufacturing firms there. They want to see Australia be a country that makes things, because they recognise—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fairfax will cease interjecting.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

the huge job impact and boost that comes from that: secure, long-term, strong jobs that come out of manufacturing. There couldn't be an even greater point in time where we need to see this happen—where we need to rebuild manufacturing capability.

The Treasurer indicated to the House the contribution of supply-side shocks to inflation. It happened under their watch. They didn't do anything concrete about it. And, at the point that we want to do something about it, through our National Reconstruction Fund, what's the first thing they say? 'No'—no to jobs; no to opportunity; no to growth; no to, in particular, people in the regions being able to have a chance to be involved. We said we would introduce a national reconstruction fund. We said it was important. We're getting on with the job of doing just that.

Australia should be a country that makes things. It should be able to create jobs in our regions and our outer suburbs, and particularly to ensure that Australians in those parts of our country will benefit from sustainable economic growth and have access to those jobs.

By the way, we want to create jobs in Aston, in Braddon, in Lindsay, in Casey, in Wide Bay—all the places where those opposite are denying us the chance and saying, 'We should not have a fund that helps support regional manufacturers.' They're prepared to dress in the high-vis; they're never prepared to back it—they're never ever prepared to back manufacturing workers and their businesses. They're content to do what they always do, which is to say no.

We see a country where we have hope, and we have belief as to firms that need access to that capital and want to be able to grow. We want to make sure that those firms never feel like they have to leave our shores to get support. We know that they deserve to get support. Mining science technology; food processing; transport manufacturing; medical devices and vaccines; renewables and low-emissions technology; defence—all these are areas where we see that activity that contributes to longer-term economic growth, deals with our supply side challenges and creates jobs. That's all very important.

But, again, on this side, we're about 'made in Australia'; on that side, 'made overseas'—that's what they're all about. We're about building capability. They're about making sure we're continually dependent on overseas supply chains. We know we can do better, and we will. (Time expired)