Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Carr, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Will the minister confirm that the $10 million available over four years that he announced in the budget for Australia’s struggling textile, clothing and footwear sector represents the sum total of the government’s response to the Green review into the sector?

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

The Rudd Labor government will drive innovation and renewal in the Australian textiles, clothing and footwear industries by investing some $401 million in a very targeted TCF innovation package. It will run from 2009-10 through to 2015-2016, with an extra $55 million earmarked for innovation, including $10 million of new funding. The package recognises the importance of the TCF industries, which employ over 45,000 Australians and underpin regional economies right around the country. These measures aim to make the TCF industries stronger and more sustainable by supporting the development of new products and processes, especially at the high-tech, high-value end of the market.

Under this package the Commonwealth will introduce a new $30 million TCF Strategic Capability Program to support large projects that will boost innovation capacity and performance at the enterprise level. They will be based on matching funding. We will establish a new Clothing and Household Textile Building Innovative Capability Program to support innovation. This will be based on a TCF strategic investment program which has a funding of $22.5 million per annum or $112 million in total. We will also establish a TCF Innovation Council, bringing together business, unions, researchers and government to champion innovation in the sector and provide strategic advice. We will establish a national TCF— (Time expired)

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. In that case, and although Professor Green recommended some $250 million for the sector in order to protect jobs and assist it to innovate, why is it that the head of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union, Michele O’Neil, is quoted as saying, ‘The budget response is grossly inadequate to support the future of textile, clothing and footwear jobs in this country’?

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

I find the craven attitude by the Liberal Party to these issues truly remarkable. On the one hand because they say the government is spending too much—

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. My question was quite direct: I asked the minister for the reason for Ms O’Neil’s comments on his budget response.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is no point of order.

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

I am more than happy to try to assist the senator in regard to the attitudes of Ms O’Neil, but I have no doubt that you would be on the phone to her on a regular basis. You would of course have spent an enormous amount of energy discussing these issues with the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union, as you have done for the last 12 years. You walked away from these industries. You have taken the view that these are industries that are dying and that they should basically be put on palliative care. You have not taken the attitude that you should be ensuring the future sustainability of these industries. As for Ms O’Neil’s opinions, I have no doubt that she is able to speak for herself. This is a package that the government take seriously because we are in the business— (Time expired)

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. In that case why has the government failed to address the plight of Australia’s manufacturing sector, which has lost 44,000 jobs—which is a 4.2 per cent decline—since the election of the Rudd government? Isn’t the minister’s admission today that the ‘budget circumstance is that we can’t provide it; simple as that’ proof that Labor has simply lost control of the nation’s finances?

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

I was raising the question of the craven and weak attitudes of the Liberal Party. On the one hand they say that this government spends too much. That is the position of the Liberal Party leadership. But, of course, here a divided and reckless opposition now says that we are not spending enough. Which is it? Do we spend too much or not enough? What is the position of the Liberal Party? Where do you stand? Do you back your leader or do you back this sort of reckless attitude that we are hearing here? We have just introduced the largest innovation package in the history of this Commonwealth. What is your position? Where are you going? Do you support that measure? Do you take the view that we are spending too much or is it too little? Can you make up your minds?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.