Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industry and Science, Senator Farrell. Can the minister please update the Senate about what the government is doing to support Australian manufacturing, including through the National Reconstruction Fund?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley for that very insightful question and, of course, acknowledge her very longstanding support for Australian manufacturing, particularly in her home state of Tasmania. As we all unfortunately discovered during the pandemic, the goods that Australians assumed would be there when we needed them were not available. Across a range of products, our supermarkets and pharmacies couldn't get what we needed. Who can forget going to supermarkets, with the long lines of empty shelves and the sense of disappointment that we all felt when we couldn't get the products we needed? That was when the seed of the National Reconstruction Fund was planted. After a decade of neglect under the Liberals and the Nationals, it was time to re-invest in our manufacturing capability.

Now that the government is seeking to make the NRF, the National Reconstruction Fund, a reality, it's once again the Liberals and the Nationals that are standing in the way. The government plans are to grow from our strengths—places where we already have natural resources or the human capital to compete with the best in the world. The National Reconstruction Fund will attract investment, it will help grow the Australian economy, and, most importantly, it will deliver high-quality, high-paying jobs for Australian workers.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, your first supplementary question?

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As you know, manufacturing is a vital employer in many regions around the great state of Tasmania. What role will the National Reconstruction Fund have in revitalising regional manufacturing after the decade of Liberal neglect?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, I'd have to disagree with you there slightly, Senator Polley, because it wasn't just Liberal neglect; it was Liberal and National neglect that has brought us to the situation where we need a National Reconstruction Fund. Sadly, it was the former Liberal-National government that did neglect manufacturing right across Australia. I have seen it firsthand with Holden. It was an unforgivable decision to kick that company out of this country. This is despite the fact that one-third of manufacturing jobs are in regional and remote Australia. Manufacturers are based across regional Australia because of the access to natural resources from minerals to agriculture to forestry and to much more. The NRF is determined to continue that focus on our regions. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Polley, your second supplementary?

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, what threats are there to the government's plans to deliver more skills and higher wages in manufacturing jobs and higher skills in regional Australia?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley for another very good question. There they are, right across there. They are the obstacles to the creation of a National Reconstruction Fund. Those opposite are the threats to improving our national self-sufficiency, investing in Australian ideas and turning them into great Australian businesses. Those opposite threaten plans to attract international investment and deliver jobs, many of which will be right in your regional areas. The biggest threat to our plan for a National Reconstruction Fund is those senators sitting across the chamber, the coalition. They say no to investment, they say no to opportunity, they say no to self-sufficiency. The Liberals and the National say no, no, no to Australian jobs in Australian manufacturing.