Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister further inform the Senate how the government sees the immediate outlook for Australian manufacturing? Is there evidence that the sector has turned the corner after enduring the stresses of the global recession? What is the industry’s own assessment of where it is heading? Is it expanding? If so, when did this turnaround occur? Can the minister provide the latest data on manufacturing employment? How does this compare with the pre-recession figures? Is there evidence that overall employment levels are falling?