Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Manufacturing sector

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:07): (1464) From time to time in this place, members can sometimes get a bit tetchy with each other. I know you will find that very hard to believe, Mr McGowan, but sometimes when we are on our feet all day, what you really need is the quick, energising sustenance of a muesli bar. When people reach for that muesli bar – whether they are members or staff in this place, whether they are working or in schools across the nation – there is a very good chance that muesli bar has been made in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

I recently had the great privilege of attending the official opening of Good Food Partners brand new manufacturing site in Rowville. GFP are the producers of many of our iconic muesli bar brands, including Carman’s, Sam’s and many home brand lines. They are also a part of that iconic company the Arnott’s Group. I will just say, sadly, they are not at the site at which Tim Tams and Mint Slices are made – that is still interstate. We still have some work to do to bring them back to their rightful home in Victoria. But along with the Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Colin Brooks, Mr Tarlamis, the member for Rowville in the other place and the federal member for Aston –

Ann-Marie Hermans interjected.

Michael GALEA: Well, Mrs Hermans, the member for Rowville was there. I am not sure why he did not want to invite you, but he was certainly there so he could have invited you. He was there, the member for Aston was there – it was wonderful to get a tour of this brand new site and see just how they fill Australia’s insatiable demand for all kinds of muesli bars and similar products right out of their Rowville site.

I would like to particularly thank Arnott’s CEO George El Zoghbi; GFP managing director Chris Diver; Honi Cervi, GM of innovation and growth, who in particular gave my little group a tour of the site; and all of the staff for making us feel so welcome. It was also great to connect with industry stakeholders, including the founder of Eat Up Australia, Lyndon Galea – no relation – and his team. Eat Up run a phenomenally impressive lunch program at disadvantaged schools across Australia. In fact those of us on the Legal and Social Issues Committee got to meet with Lyndon and his team at a recent inquiry hearing just last year.

Good Food Partners have been solid backers of Eat Up for a long time, and as they have grown, they have continuously given back to the Australian community. Chris Diver started this company – a small food manufacturer in the east of Melbourne – 22 years ago. From humble beginnings they have grown into a major success story and now employ around 200 people at their new, modern Rowville site. Scaling up to such a large and complex facility does not come without its challenges and throughout the process the company was assisted by this government to help it meet and work through those regulatory obstacles. So my question therefore is for Minister Brooks. Can the minister update the house on how the government is assisting manufacturing businesses in the south-east to succeed?