Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to continue my remarks in regard to the Future Made in Australia Bill 2024, an important opportunity for our country to take the next step into a cleaner future for our nation and better local jobs for our regions. It's without question that our world is quickly changing, our global and national population is growing, economies are becoming more competitive, and we are moving towards a future where we get to decide: Do we want to fall behind on the global transition to net zero? Or do we want to invest in ourselves and ensure that Australians of today and of future generations are set up to have cheaper and cleaner energy? This is an opportunity to see Australians have more-secure and better paid jobs. It's an opportunity for Australians to see their nation become a renewable energy superpower that's taking ambitious strides towards net zero, and it's a real opportunity for regional Queenslanders to lead this change.

I want to discuss what is in this bill, because I have heard a lot of debate about what this bill means. But it's really clear that this bill provides a clear plan for the future of our industrial policy. It's a plan that looks to targeted public investment to attract private finance sectors that have comparative advantage in our net zero global economy. The bill would establish a national interest framework and introduce community benefit principles. The national interest framework would have two streams: the net zero transformation stream and the economic resilience and security stream. Together these streams would target sectors that could have a comparative advantage in the net zero economy and would look towards unlocking private investment for areas that align with Australia's national interest. This framework would have a transparency at its core and play a crucial role in attracting investment that will transform our economy. The community benefit principles are a second priority of this bill, and they're really important. Community benefit principles will be established to ensure that public investment and the private investment that it attracts will flow towards communities and benefit local workers and businesses.

There are five principles that are outlined in this legislation, and it beggars belief that those opposite would oppose these principles. They are, very simply: job security and safety, upskilling workforces, engaging collaboratively with local communities, strengthening industrial local supply chains and demonstrating transparency and compliance in relation to the management of tax affairs.

The bill, with the aim that our country becomes more competitive, productive and economically resilient, will be delivering $22.7 billion to ensure that we can have good, local, secure manufacturing jobs. Some of these commitments include $68 million over four years to attract key investments in key industries and to increase the contribution that Australia is making to innovation, science and digital capabilities.

But it's the investment that we are making in our critical minerals that I think is crucial to this bill. A key commitment of the Future Made in Australia Bill which is significant for my home state of Queensland will be the new initiative funding critical minerals. It's an important step forward because we know that this is going to be a crucial industry as we transition to net zero, and it's really important to places like Queensland that have a good resources industry. Under the Future Made in Australia policy, critical minerals will receive production tax incentives to support downstream refining and processing of Australia's 31 critical minerals over the next decade. It is, again, an exciting opportunity for those regional towns to take hold of this transformation.

The other sector that we are looking at through this bill and through our investment in manufacturing is defence manufacturing. The Future Made in Australia Bill will also look towards broader investments in the government's growth agenda, including in defence priorities and manufacturing. To achieve this, the government will provide $100 million to attract and retain a skilled industrial workforce. This funding will support Australian shipbuilding, the delivery of conventionally armed nuclear powered submarines and create new jobs and experts within our defence sector. It is an important step forward to create an industrial base that is resilient, competitive and capable, and it's exactly what our government wants to do with the Future Made in Australia Bill.

This bill before us today, the Future Made in Australia Bill, is a pivotal decision for our future. The Albanese Labor government wants to invest in and strengthen our economies, industries and supply chains. We want to make more things here in Australia. We want to create jobs for Australians and invest in our local communities and we want to equip our workforce with the skills that we need for a modern and thriving economy.

As I said at the beginning of my contribution earlier today, it is so important that we get this right. There is no community that knows that more than the community that I live in in Cairns. We have two things at stake when it comes to this bill. We have a thriving tourism economy that is dependent on us getting to net zero. We also have an incredible defence and marine manufacturing sector ready to take to the next level. We have good, local manufacturing jobs that rely on the reef. That is the economic base of our small regional community. It is really important that we support this bill, and that's why I'm doing that, to support the local community in Cairns.

It's disappointing to see, yet again, the Liberal and National parties voting against a future made in Australia and voting against all the opportunities that this bill could bring to somewhere like Far North Queensland. But this is the first opportunity for the new LNP candidate for Leichhardt, Jeremy Neal, to stand up for the community in Far North Queensland. He has a choice to make: does he support a future made in Australia or does he support Mr Peter Dutton? Because you can't do both. You can't support the LNP's position on a future made in Australia and vote down this bill that supports manufacturing and say that you support the Cairns Marine Precinct, the shipbuilders down on the wharf and the future of our tourism industry in Cairns. You can't do both. So this is the first chance for Jeremy Neal to stand up for the local community in Far North Queensland and say that he does support Labor's Future Made in Australia Bill and that he doesn't support the position of the Liberal-National coalition.

It is shameful that we again have this situation, where, no matter what single manufacturing job we talk about, the Liberal-National coalition is out to get those workers. They've been called rent-seekers. I don't see it that way. I've met with manufacturing workers in Cairns and across Queensland. They have a bright future under a Labor government, because we are looking forward to what a renewable energy future looks like for Queensland. What it means is that we're able to do two things. We're able to make more things here in Australia, and we're able to progress to a net zero economy and protect the Great Barrier Reef.

That is what these bills are about. I'm very pleased to be supporting them. I've always stood up for manufacturing workers, and I've always stood up against the attacks that manufacturing workers have suffered from those opposite. We'll continue to do that, and as a Labor government we'll continue to deliver what manufacturing workers need—good, local, secure jobs.