Wednesday, 1 May 2024

Ministers statements: manufacturing sector

Natalie HUTCHINS (Sydenham – Minister for Jobs and Industry, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Minister for Women) (14:28): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is supporting cutting-edge research and development projects across local jobs and supporting Victoria’s booming manufacturing industry. $15 million has been allocated across the Industry R&‍D Infrastructure Fund, and we are supporting critical industry, including renewable energy, health technology, food manufacturing and advanced technology.

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Quantum Brilliance with my colleague the member for Mulgrave, where we have supported as a government the establishment of a facility to focus on delivering technology-grade quantum diamond materials. These diamonds are not the ones that go on our fingers; these are diamonds that are absolutely essential in the development of computer processing, and this facility is a world first. In addition, along with a member for South-Eastern Metropolitan Region in the other place I recently visited a family-owned business called PowerPlus Energy in Scoresby, and thanks to funding from our government PowerPlus will now invest in prototyping equipment that will change the face of energy around the world. Another local company that we are proud to support, in the member for Albert Park’s electorate, is PolyNovo, which designs, develops and manufactures skin regeneration solutions to treat complex wounds.

As you can see, all of these investments in R and D and local industry are absolutely at the cutting edge and creating new, highly skilled jobs for our sector. And I tell you what, unlike those opposite, we are not going to push local manufacturing off to other states. We will be back in local manufacturing across Victoria and growing it.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Nepean is warned.