Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, the Minister for Defence Industries, the Hon. Pat Conroy, visited Bendigo to make a very important announcement, an announcement that will save and secure jobs at our Bendigo Thalis manufacturing facility. This is where we build the Australian Bushmasters. The announcement was $160 million to build a further 78 Bushmasters for the Australian Army. This is enormous. This will save and secure the jobs that we have at the site. The previous government left office without a plan and no contracts were ready to go. We have turned it around. We've secured the jobs at the site and ensured that there are future jobs for the next generations. We met some young apprentices there, one of whose father works at the site and great uncle worked at the site. For generations, people have been working at Bendigo Thalis. It is a site where we build the equipment that our army needs. The Bushmaster, as we know, saves Australian lives. It's a world-class vehicle. It is making a real difference in countries like Ukraine. It is being sold to countries like Japan and New Zealand, and we are hopeful for future export contracts, but the good news is we've got a contract to secure the jobs ongoing—78 Bushmasters, $160 million from our government to secure the jobs at the site. I'm so proud to be part of a government that puts defence manufacturing first and the jobs at Bendigo first.