Forum must ensure future jobs for local manufacturers (06/10/2011)
Stephen Jones MP, Federal Member for Throsby, has used the Australian Government’s Future Jobs Forum to call for greater assistance for the Australian manufacturing sector.
The Future Jobs Forum brings together nearly one hundred representatives and experts from business, unions, government and academia to discuss how Australia can best position itself to benefit from the changing global economy.
The meeting in Canberra comes as BlueScope workers voted to accept a redundancy offer from the company that will see the Illawarra steelmaker shed 1100 positions, including contractors.
The Federal Government has a comprehensive assistance package - which includes the Steel Transform Plan - worth $140 million already in place.
Mr Jones acknowledged important existing Government polices to deal with the changing economy including record investment in skills and training, new economic infrastructure such as the National Broadband Network, improved taxation of the mining sector, and putting a price on carbon to start the transition to a clean energy economy.
However he said the record-high Australian dollar, expensive raw materials and weakened international and domestic demand spelt tough times for local manufacturers sector.
“In the Illawarra we’ve already seen BlueScope beat a retreat from the export market, which is will cost just over a thousand steelworking jobs. Now we’re beginning to see the losses flow onto the docks and into the workshops,” Mr Jones said.
“The resources sector is booming and while that’s welcome news for the nation, policy makers face an epic task to ensure the wealth created is equitably and responsibly distributed – and lasts longer than a single generation,” Mr Jones said.
“The Australian Government is spending big money on road, rail and port infrastructure to help the miners bring these resources to market. Taxpayers expect a balance between value-for-money and the use of home-grown labour and materials in return for their investment,” he said.
According to Mr Jones, these public investments are dwarfed by the many billions due to be spent by mining companies on plant, equipment and infrastructure to exploit the nation’s mineral wealth.
“Over the next five years a staggering $400 billion will be invested in the resources sector,” Mr Jones said.
“The scale of these investments demands greater corporate accountability then current arrangements deliver.”
“Makers of Australian content have genuine and credible concerns that these lucrative contracts lack transparency and - in some cases - are specifically designed to lock out local manufacturers from even bidding for tenders.
“The arrangements for these multinational mega-deals need to be dragged out of the shadows and into the sunlight so the public can determine whether Australian manufacturing workers are getting a fair shot at the economic activity these projects create,” he said.
The major agenda items at the Future Jobs Forum will be:
- The changing structure of the Australian economy
- Drivers of job creation and investment
- Manufacturing: the next decade
- Adapting to the high dollar
- Seizing new opportunities through innovation, competition and effective partnership.
A full copy of the Future Jobs Forum program, including participant information, can be found here.
