Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

We couldn't get ventilators, we couldn't get PPE, and who could forget going to supermarkets with those empty shelves when we couldn't get the products that we needed? That was when some of us took note of the fact that our manufacturing industry had been run down, and some of us took note that we needed to be able to stand on our own two feet and make more things here. That's when the seed for the National Reconstruction Fund was planted. We know you hate manufacturing and we know you sent the car industry offshore. We know you don't like manufacturing jobs, but you finally have a chance to repent and get behind the National Reconstruction Fund.

The Albanese Labor government is committed to building resilient supply chains and national sovereign capability to reinforce the prosperity, security, and wellbeing of the nation. The National Reconstruction Fund will attract investment, it will help to grow the Australian economy, and, most importantly, it will deliver good quality manufacturing jobs across our country.