Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry and Science. How is the Albanese Labor government's Future Made in Australia plan helping Australian families deal with cost-of-living pressures, and what are the consequences of opposing this plan?

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

I thank the member for her question because she knows an important way for Australians to deal with cost-of-living pressures is to hold down a secure, well-paying job. The bulk of manufacturing jobs are full time and pay above-average weekly earnings. Our Future Made in Australia plans champion Australian manufacturing, as does our $400 million Australian Industry Growth Program.

We got to back the efforts of small manufacturers to grow well-paying jobs with the announcement last week of the first grants from the IGP. Li-S Energy in the Corangamite electorate secured one of those grants to help with the commercialisation, development and production of its lithium-sulphur batteries. These batteries are lighter and more powerful and are targeted for use in aviation and defence. Li-S employs 25 people in Geelong and Brisbane and is now looking to expand. We set up the IGP to help emerging manufacturers to grow, be it Li-S in Corangamite, be it Cauldron Molecules in Calare, be it Forager Automation in Bonner, be it Brandsec in Melbourne or be it Electrogenics Laboratories in Bradfield. So we are saying yes to Australian jobs—secure, well-paying jobs in manufacturing. We're saying yes to more products made right here in this country and yes to workers earning more and keeping more of what they earn.

The question is: what about those opposite? It's always no, always negative—no to our $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, no to energy price relief for Australian manufacturers and no to cost-of-living tax relief for workers. And here's the other one: when we announced our Future Made in Australia initiatives in our May budget, the Leader of the Opposition described our plans to scale up more work onshore as 'corporate welfare' and 'billions for billionaires'. Tough talk! But last week, on his way to Western Australia, it seemed like that courage evaporated over the Nullarbor, because, when he had to eyeball WA businesses keen to leverage off our announced production credits, the Leader of the Opposition did what he normally does when he is under pressure. He said, 'We'll have more to say about that later.' Tough guy! Where did you go? He's tough on the east coast, and then it just diminishes on the west coast. It just disappears. The tune changes. Their hearts are not in it. They will not back Australian manufacturing. They saw off 100,000 manufacturing jobs when they were in office, chased out the car industry and now only ever talk about manufacturing to talk it down.