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

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. The Albanese Labor government wants Australia to be a country that makes things here. We want Australia to be a country that produces renewable power in abundance, bringing down domestic power prices and exporting excess energy to the world. We want to make the most of our natural resources, value-adding here and strengthening our economic security. And we want our people skilled up to reap the benefits of this economic transformation. Minister, how will the government's Future Made in Australia policy set up the Australian economy for the future?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for the question and for the interest and energy that she puts into the Future Made in Australia agenda. I heard while Senator Green was asking her question the snipes from the 'no-alition', which is the combination of the opposition and their friends the Greens. We see them there griping away. I think most people outside of this chamber would think, 'On what grounds could anybody in any parliament vote against a future made in Australia?' We know, as Senator Watt said yesterday, that those opposite vote against a future. They would like to go back to the past; we know that. They don't like the future. They're scared of the future. But a future made in Australia, about jobs, about opportunity, about seizing our natural strength, about increasing manufacturing opportunities and our sovereign capability after the COVID-19 pandemic—who on earth could really stand and vote against a bill like that? But here we have it. Here is the Senate for you all to witness. We have those opposite voting again against housing, voting against a future made in Australia, voting against a renewable energy transition. Any major piece of economic transformation in this country the opposition opposes. If they could find their little alliance with the Greens and strengthen that—we know it makes Senator Duniam uncomfortable. We know it does, Senator Duniam. It's like forests and—oh! I know, Tasmania. We don't really like to be in bed with the Greens, but here we go. Come to Canberra and all we is those opposite, the 'no-alition', working together to block a future made in Australia. (Time expired)

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

Senator Green, first supplementary?

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

Minister, today we learnt that almost 80 per cent more women are training as apprentices in male-dominated trades. What opportunities exist for women in the Albanese Labor government's Future Made in Australia agenda, and why is the government so focused on increasing economic opportunities for women?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for that and, again, for advocating for the economic opportunities for women in this country. We know that the economic opportunities for this country going forward—the jobs, the technology and all of that—rely on utilising all of our labour capacity, and that involves 50 per cent women. We don't want to see women locked out of opportunities or be having to retrofit a gender segregated workforce after it happens. So we have been putting investment behind programs, such as the Building Women's Careers Program, to support more women to train in jobs in male dominated industries.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can hear a groan from the other side, but we have one of the highest gender segregated workforces in the developed world. We on this side of the chamber don't think that women should lose out on any of the economic opportunities or the job opportunities going forward.

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

Senator Green, a second supplementary?

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

Minister, a key focus of the Albanese Labor's government Future Made in Australia agenda is the energy transformation. How do the Future Made in Australia initiatives support the energy transformation, and what challenges has the government faced in responding to the energy transformation and in providing cheap, clean electricity to Australians?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for that question because it is an important one. A key component of the Future Made in Australia agenda is about ensuring that we get the energy transformation right through things like our production tax credits, making our supply chains more resilient, particularly through solar, our innovation fund and making sure that we map the geological opportunities and the potential of the entire country. This is just part of our Future Made in Australia agenda. We've got our Rewiring the Nation plan. We're also providing the private sector with the certainty they needed after—what was it, again?—10 years and 22 failed energy policies. And I think we're shaping up for a 23rd. This one's from opposition. I think we're going to see the 23rd failed energy policy, which is, of course, Mr Dutton's risky nuclear energy plan, a plan that hasn't been costed and has no detail and, even if they do cost it, will only— (Time expired)