HUNTER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Ms JODIE HARRISON(Charlestown) (18:36:11):The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on business that is translating to job losses for the people of New South Wales. The July Australian Bureau of Statistics job figures show that unemployment in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region is at 6.3per cent, which is a dramatic increase from 4.4per cent in January and a full point higher than the State average of 5.3per cent. Youth unemployment in the region looks dire, rising from 10.4per cent in January to 13.9per cent by July well above the State average of 11.7per cent. As the recession continues these numbers are set to get worse. The global pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the State of New South Wales, and no more so than when it comes to Australian manufacturing.

Shortages of personal protective equipment, sanitising products, groceries and consumer goods show just how we have the balance wrong when it comes to what we make here and what we buy from overseas. The Charlestown electorate, like every traditional manufacturing hub in this State, has seen a steady decline in manufacturing and the jobs it creates as the industry has increasingly been pushed offshore. We know the direct contribution that manufacturing makes to the economy is only a fraction of its indirect contribution. It really is a no-brainer: When we manufacture in New South Wales the economic flow-on is massive. But instead this Government manages the budget like a 50per cent off sale at Fantastic Furniture, pursuing the cheapest options every time. As our ferries that do not fit under the bridges and our trains that do not fit through the tunnels and are too wide for platforms attest, cheapest is not always best.

What this Government needs to do right now is act. It needs to act to do what is the most obvious thing that is, to bring jobs back to New South Wales; not just to Sydney but to the regions. I speak of regions like the Lower Hunter, which for decades manufactured world-class trains, ferries, frigates and ships. But those contracts have all been pushed offshore and the jobs that come with them have gone offshore too. Recently the Premier explained away that her Liberal-Nationals Government offshores the manufacture of trains, ferries and trams because we do not manufacture in this State. The Premier might not have any manufacturing jobs in her electorate but in regional New South Wales where I am from manufacturing still employs around 6per cent of the workforce. It is time the Government recognised that, although it has taken a beating, manufacturing is still a significant employer in this Stateparticularly in the regions.

In my electorate of Charlestown there is a manufacturing company called R&R Murphy, which Ihave talked about in this Chamber before. It supplies the domestic and international mining transport and defence industries and is constantly innovating products to suit and to lead the market. In a totally different area of manufacturing, I have spoken also about JetProof, a company that manufactures and supplies clothing for adults and children with sensory issues. Recently JetProof expanded its production into re-usable three-layer face masks in order to fill the shortages that we have been experiencing during COVID-19.

We can, and we do, manufacture in this State and it is time that this Government woke up to it. It is time for the New South Wales Government to forget about running multimillion-dollar toy trains down the streets of Sydney and Newcastle. It is time to forget about demolishing and rebuilding stadiums, and moving museums. It is time to stop wasting taxpayers' money on the Premier's pet projects and the pet projects of whoever has the ear of the Premier. It is time the New South Wales Government developed a vision for the futurea vision that creates jobs, a vision that seizes the potential of the talent within the State of New South Wales.

But instead we have a government that is bankrupt when it comes to good ideas and runs into deficit when it comes to delivering essential services. Instead of mounting a recovery, I fear that this Government does not have what it takes to steer this State through the very troubled waters that lay ahead. I hope that members of the Government can open their eyes and see what the manufacturers and innovators in this State, particularly in regions such as the Hunter, have to offer. We have so much manufacturing talent available to us. That manufacturing talent should not be ignored.