John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

'Innovation'—that is the buzz word here on both sides of the house, as our manufacturing sector potentially enters its death throes. 'Business needs to innovate,' we heard from the opposition when it was in government. 'We need more innovation in business,' we hear from the government as another car manufacturer pulls up stumps and announces its intention to leave our shores. But there is one group of people who are failing to innovate, and it is the group of people sitting on both sides of this chamber and in the other place. You are incredibly good at attributing blame. The government today quoted how many jobs were lost during the previous government's term. Well, I think the current government has a pretty good score on that issue also.

What has been done and what is being done in terms of innovation? All I have heard so far are bandaid statements. I want to hear from all of you what your grand plan is and how you are going to respond while our manufacturers potentially die. And what about the previous government? You had plenty of experience in job losses also. Where are your answers? When the current government was in opposition, surely it had the luxury of time to come up with one or two ideas to answer our current crisis. In my view, both sides of the Senate are fiddling while Rome burns. While you are both currently prevaricating and bickering, the banks will be looking, for example, at components manufacturers and their ability to keep up the repayments on their mortgages and on their equipment.

Go and ask any farmer how 'understanding' the bloody banks are when 'the proverbial' hits the fan—poor commodity prices, drought, fire and flood. Ask farmers what it is like when they are told by us: 'We're looking into it. We'll help you.' Of course, we have got complicated assistance packages for farmers. I bet we will get complicated assistance packages for the manufacturers and their employees when they find themselves in a terrible position. It will not be easy, it will not be simple, it will not be quick and it will not come fast enough. But you can be sure of one thing: it will be unbelievably bureaucratic. Instead of blaming workers, instead of blaming the unions and instead of blaming each other, why don't you people practise what you preach and innovate support and encouragement for our manufacturing sector and the families who are now thinking about the crisis that they are potentially facing? Why don't you come up with some quick and effective ways to respond to the current crisis?

Federal and state governments need to get together now—but not to come up with more pie charts, more ledgers and more motherhood statements. We need an action plan and we need it now. We are talking about people here: Australian workers, Australian small and medium business owners—people who have invested their life's work and effort into their businesses. They often say to me that their most valuable asset is the people working for them. The decision to sack is not made lightly, easily or flippantly. Don't think because it will happen in 2016 or 2017 that the tsunami is not already on its way. It is already having an effect on families and businesses, such as the working people in the western suburbs of Melbourne and across Victoria and elsewhere. These are some of the unseen people—the nightshift workers and the 60-hour-a-week labourers. Whacking on a hard hat, safety glasses and a hi-vis vest and then shedding crocodile tears does not cut the mustard.

Here is a novel idea: how many of you here have consciously gone out this week to buy something Australian? How many? How many of you just assume a product is Australian made, or do you make the effort to call up and ask whether a product is Australian made?' The problems our manufacturers face are partially attributable to successive governments of all persuasions. Just get on with it and stop bleating about it.