Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How will the Albanese Labor government's Future Made in Australia plans benefit regional Australia? What challenges stand in the way?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much to the member for Paterson for that question. She, of course, is a very strong advocate for jobs in her region and knows that our Future Made in Australia plan will deliver benefits for all of regional Australia. Whether it be renewable hydrogen, solar panels and batteries, green metals or critical minerals processing, our Future Made in Australia plan is all about jobs in the regions.

A great example of that is low-carbon liquid fuels. Right now, 60 per cent of Australian canola exported to Europe is used to produce biofuels, and we export 400 kilotonnes of our tallow, largely from our abattoirs, to Europe for the same purpose each and every single year—Australian feedstock being shipped offshore, creating jobs overseas, with some of that final product being reimported into Australia. Our Future Made in Australia plan will see more of this product being transformed here in Australia into sustainable fuels—for our planes, for our ships and for our heavy vehicles. Our budget will see more investment in local projects and innovation. We are creating the building blocks for this industry right here in Australia. We will consult on demand-side measures and we will shortly be engaging with industry on the final form of a production incentive to kickstart local manufacturing of sustainable fuels.

You would think that growing new Australian jobs and industries, particularly in our regions, would unite this parliament, but no. This is all opposed by those opposite, who have confirmed that they will not support the Future Made in Australia, including the development of a low-carbon liquid fuel industry. Why is that? Of course, we know they have form when it comes to opposing Australian manufacturing and Australian industry. We know they killed the car industry here in Australia. They of course, notably, had a defence minister who said that they wouldn't trust Australian industry to build a canoe, and now they have a shadow Treasurer who spent his entire pre-parliamentary career advocating against local jobs.

On this side, we support Australian industries.

Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hands up if you've employed someone.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have local content rules in our infrastructure, and we have local job and training requirements too. On their side, they have a shadow Treasurer who calls support for Australian industries a 'wasted effort'. That's what he said to the Minerals Council of Australia when he was advocating the scrapping of local content policies with the closure of aluminium refining in Australia.

While this government is working to deliver a future made in Australia, particularly in our regions, the coalition—

An opposition member interjecting

Yes, I have, thank you—wants a future made overseas.