Federal Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Science, Mr Nick Champion, has visited Sanitarium and Masterfood with the Member for Dobell, Ms Emma McBride.
Mr Champion was in town to announce that, if elected at the next Federal poll, a Shorten Labor Government would back Central Coast industry and support local jobs through a range of new industry policy measures. Mr Champion and Ms McBride, accompanied by Labor’s Candidate for Robertson, Ms Anne Charlton, met the Central Coast manufacturers to discuss opportunities to support local industry and create local jobs. Meeting with local industry is critical to informing Labor’s industry policy development processes, Mr Champion said. He said previous consultations have helped inform a range of recent policy announcements.
“Labor has announced that a Shorten Labor Government will create an Australian Investment Guarantee (AIG) that provides accelerated depreciation incentives for new capital equipment investments,” Mr Champion said. He said the guarantee would assist longer-term manufacturers who needed assistance to replace and upgrade their plant and equipment. Labor has also pledged to establish a $1b Advanced Manufacturing Future Fund (AMFF) to support innovative manufacturing firms who want to grow their businesses and create jobs, but who might find it difficult to obtain private sources of finance Mr Champion was also in town to discuss toughening Anti-Dumping measures, including tripling penalties for circumventing trade remedies, better resourcing the AntiDumping Commission, and creating a one-stop shop under a tougher regime that will safeguard Australian manufacturing and agricultural jobs now and into the future.
“Labor’s focus is maintaining and enhancing local jobs by backing Aussie businesses that employ Australians to make things in Australia. “Labor wants Australia to be a successful advanced manufacturing nation, and to achieve this, it will assist firms to modernise and move into high-value, high skill production.
Source: Media release, Mar 19 Richard Brooks, office of Nick Champion