Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. I would suggest that the senator might have more authority to ask questions about the steel industry if the Liberals in this chamber had actually supported the government's moves on a steel industry transformation scheme. You have not supported those moves. In fact, what you have proposed to do is to cut the budget by $70 billion. The result that that would produce would be to cut all the programs in science, innovation and research for a period of about seven years. That is the consequence of your policy!

Today's announcement by BlueScope, as BlueScope themselves have said, had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the carbon price issue—absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever. It was entirely to do with the fact that the Australian dollar has increased by some 45 per cent in the space of two years, the resources that they have to use in their production have increased very rapidly as well and we have a massive increase in the number of imports as a result of the changes in the terms of trade which have produced such a high dollar for Australia. So to make any connections whatsoever with the carbon price is totally fallacious.

We have an opposition that, frankly, will not face up to their responsibilities to offer some advice about what they see as the future in terms of the dramatic structural changes that are occurring in Australian manufacturing. You would have thought the opposition by now would have some advice for us. How do we deal with the issue of the high dollar? How do we deal with the question of a booming resources price? What is your policy with regard to the structural changes that are occurring within Australian manufacturing? The only support you are prepared to give to manufacturing, as you see it, is to make it easier to sack workers. That is your idea of a manufacturing policy. And I am afraid that, until you actually get on board with a bit of serious stuff, it is very hard to take you seriously. (Time expired)