Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Ronaldson, representing the Minister for Industry and Science. Will the minister advise the Senate what action the government is taking to capitalise on our nation's strength in advanced manufacturing? How will smart investment in the industries of the future help Australia create more jobs and compete internationally?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for her question and acknowledge her longstanding interest in regional Victoria. Last week the Prime Minister, the Minister for Industry and Science, my friend and colleague the Assistant Minister for Education, and the member for Corangamite were there for an announcement, in that great regional city of Geelong, of the government's $14 million Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre in Geelong. This centre will be integrated with a network of four similar growth centres across the country and will develop a plan to link local businesses with global companies. The plan will identify jobs and skill needs; provide a pipeline of innovations ready to commercialise; and consider areas for reforming regulation, manufacturing transformation and growth. The centre will drive the jobs of the 21st century—jobs like the 100 jobs that have been created at Carbon Revolution in Geelong, jobs that were not there two years ago.

The future of manufacturing in Australia is in the area of advanced manufacturing, using science and research to produce high-tech, high-value goods to sell to global supply chains around the world. The $225 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative provides a new sectoral approach to industry policy which builds on Australia's strengths, driving excellence and capability sectors with the most economic potential.

In conjunction with the new Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, the Prime Minister, together with my colleague Senator Birmingham, announced that the Newcomb Secondary College will introduce an industry partnership to better prepare students to enter the workforce, with $500,000 committed towards establishing the Pathways in Technology Early College High School model at the college in 2016. On top of that, there will be a new TradeStart office in Geelong. (Time expired)

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister inform the Senate how the government is putting science at the centre of industry policy to help grow the economy and create new jobs?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, could I thank Senator McKenzie. Just last week, the Minister for Industry and Science announced the new chairman of CSIRO, Mr David Thodey, to join the relatively new CEO, Larry Marshall, to boost the industry experience and business experience in that organisation. Mr Thodey, a very highly respected business leader, and Larry Marshall, a former Silicon Valley executive, will work together in a drive to have science and industry work hand in hand. This complements a range of initiatives to bring science to the centre of industry. The R&D tax incentive, worth $10 billion over the forward estimates, is providing a tax offset for businesses undertaking eligible R&D activities. The $584 million cooperative research centres program supports industry-led multi-year research collaborations between industry and researchers, and the entrepreneurs program, worth $100 million annually— (Time expired)

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister outline how the government's strategy for science and industry contrasts with alternative approaches?

Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It will be no surprise but a great disappointment for the chamber to hear me say that the Labor Party has no science and industry policy direction at all. Ours is deliberate, thorough and detailed. The Labor Party just threw money at problems. Of course, the real cause of that was Senator Carr, virtually a Peter Pan on steroids, who just flapped around. As was quite rightly described by former Senator Richardson:

… (Kim Il Carr to friends and foe alike) the undisputed champion of Labor’s lost causes. This bloke wanted to continue to throw more—

money—

at the car industry and is completely ignorant of both Labor history and modern thinking. Someone should tell him the Berlin Wall came down a quarter of a century ago, around the same time Hawke and Keating sold off TAA and Commonwealth Bank, and opened Telstra up to competition. Someone should tell Carr his war is over.

(Time expired)