Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Jobs and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hume for her question. Yesterday I was pleased to advise the Senate about the Turnbull government's strong job creation record, in particular in relation to manufacturing jobs. Since we came to office in September 2013, almost 1.1 million jobs have been created. In relation to the number of manufacturing jobs in Australia, we saw, in the 12 months to May, an increase in the number of manufacturing jobs by 47,700. This is a good result, but it is only a result because of the policies put in place by the Turnbull government. In relation to growth across the manufacturing sector, we've seen particularly strong growth in food product manufacturing. This actually had the largest increase in jobs, up by 12 per cent, or 23,100. This was followed by machinery and equipment manufacturing, which had in excess of 21,700 more jobs created, up by 20 per cent.

Senator Hume did ask about her home state of Victoria. Senator Hume, through the policies of this government, every manufacturer can rise to the challenge and become an advanced manufacturer if they choose to. An example in Senator Hume's home state is a business by the name of Quickstep Holdings. They were the recipient of a $250,000 grant under which they have developed and commercialised carbon fibre composite technology. This company is a great example of advanced manufacturing in Australia. They have actually relocated, Senator Hume, their research and development function from Germany all the way to Geelong in Victoria. They have also worked with Deakin University researchers to refine the technology, including hiring 11 PhD students. This is good news for manufacturing jobs in Australia. (Time expired)