Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. I just indicate to the Senate that, far from seeing the low-carbon economy as a threat, I take the view that this is an enormous opportunity—an enormous opportunity to modernise manufacturing, to refocus manufacturing and to generate jobs for Australian manufacturing. The government is absolutely committed to ensuring we are able to modernise industry in such a way as to produce jobs. The government is committed. This government is committed, as we have seen by carrying the legislation today, to a comprehensive package of measures not just to assist households and communities but to assist industry, to assist workers and to assist regions and to ensure that, through the Clean Energy Future package there is some $20 billion worth of assistance so that our industries are able to modernise, are able to front up to the challenges of the 21st century and are able to secure the jobs for the period ahead.

Our job is to work with manufacturing, and we will. This government will be working with manufacturing to ensure that we have the ability to face up to these challenges squarely. There are phenomenal opportunities. Rather than being a threat, this is a huge opportunity to put Australia at the forefront of economic modernisation. To ensure that we are able to seize these opportunities, the government has provided $20 billion worth of assistance.

Those opposite that campaign against these measures have to also come clean and say they are prepared to withdraw $20 billion worth of assistance from Australian industry, from Australian workers and from Australian jobs. What we have seen here— (Time expired)