CHRIS RIEGER, HOST: Ayres, who is the Assistant Minister for Future Made in Australia and the Assistant Minister for Trade. Good morning to you, Tim.
SENATOR TIM AYRES, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR A FUTURE MADE IN AUSTRALIA AND TRADE: Really good to be on the show.
RIEGER: Now, the Future Made in Australia bill that has been introduced into parliament. Where are we at with it?
SENATOR AYRES: Well, this is the biggest pro-manufacturing package in Australian history, introduced by the Albanese government. It is designed to attract investment from the world's best manufacturers into Australia's regions and outer suburbs, to make sure that we're adding more value in Australia and we're making more things here. It is a very significant piece of work that will shape our future economy. And the benefits of the legislation will accrue largely in regional Australia. That's where our mining resources are. That's where the value-add opportunities are, particularly for our metal industry and our critical minerals.
RIEGER: So for areas like Bourke and remote areas of Northwest New South Wales, what will the will Future Made in Australia mean for those specific areas?
SENATOR AYRES: Well, what it means is more manufacturing investment being dragged into the regions from Australia and around the world. This is designed to turn heads in boardrooms right around the world, to create investment and good jobs. Now there are opportunities in Northwestern New South Wales and in regional Queensland and in South Australia. Look at areas in the Spencer Gulf, mining and processing opportunities around Broken Hill, opportunities in regional Queensland in hydrogen production, critical minerals processing. All of this taken together means there's a spillover benefit for all of regional Australia, not just where that the actual factory is being built, but for all of the supply chain, all of the engineering companies. It builds Australian industrial capability and builds good skilled jobs in the regions. Means young school leavers have got an opportunity to get a good apprenticeship or a good engineering cadetship and to stay in regional Australia.
RIEGER: Poll came out yesterday – the AFR/Freshwater Strategy Poll published on Sunday, showed the Coalition ahead by 51% to 49% two party preferred. Is Labor steering down the barrel of a minority government after the next election?
SENATOR AYRES: You probably expect me to say this, but I don't pay too much attention to polls. Whether they are good, bad or indifferent, I don't pay too much attention. We've got our hands full focused on the interest of Australians in the short term for the here and now, that means a real focus on the cost-of-living issues. That's why we've introduced a package of tax cuts for every single Australian taxpayer that your listeners who are PAYG taxpayers will be seeing in their pay slips now. That's why we've reduced the cost of childcare. That's why we've introduced measures to make medicines cheaper. So, for the here and now, we've got that focus. And for the long term future shape of the Australian economy, to deliver jobs in regional areas, to develop Australia's manufacturing capability to make more things here and to deliver skilled job opportunities for young Australians and productivity and investment opportunities for our firms. We're focused on the long term, on the Future Made in Australia agenda. That's what the government's focus should be, not being distracted by partisan politics or polls, but focused. Laser focused, the Albanese government is, on the issues that matter for Australians and matter for the national interest.
RIEGER: It wasn't completely bad news. While Labor is behind the opposition on economic management and cost of living, the government did narrow the gap in those areas by three and five percentage points. So obviously, as you've been talking up those tax cuts, you certain those measures that were put in place working and having an effect on addressing cost of living?
SENATOR AYRES: Yeah, I'm focused on the real things. Polls are assessments in time done by a company and a newspaper too so that there's commentary for stories to be written in newspapers. I'm focused on real economic management questions. The Albanese Government is the first government in nearly 20 years to deliver two back-to-back surpluses. The last government - the sort of Dutton, Morrison, Abbott, Turnbull catastrophe, talked about surpluses all the time, but never actually delivered one. In fact, they left us with a trillion dollars in debt and nothing much to show for it. We have delivered two budget surpluses through real savings in the budget at the same time as delivering targeted cost of living relief for families that puts downward pressure on inflation. That's real economic management, not being a blowhard about economic management, which is what the Coalition does. They just talk about it. The Albanese government [is doing] careful work and delivering on putting downward pressure on inflation. That's why we took government. Inflation had a six in front of it. Now it's got a three in front of it. Nearly halved. There is still more work to do, and rather than like Mr. Dutton and his colleagues being blowhards about it, we are just carefully delivering the reforms that are needed to keep downward pressure on inflation and look after Australian families in the process.
RIEGER: Before I let you go, what's what lies ahead for the next couple of weeks for you?
SENATOR AYRES: Well, we are very focused on the reforms that need to go through the parliament this week. There is important legislation there in terms of imposing administration on the CFMEU construction and general division that, at the moment, is being opposed by the Liberals and Nationals and the Greens. We will be working our way through the parliament on that question. Important reforms to deliver sustainability for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and moderate the growth of that scheme so that it can operate for future generations of disabled Australians and their families. And more. There is more economic reform, more opportunities, including Future Made in Australia, to deliver good manufacturing jobs. That's what we'll be focused on this week in the parliament, and the pressure is on the Liberals and Nationals and Greens to actually work with the government and deliver something in the interests of Australians, rather than, you know, the sort of cheap partisan talking points that have characterized their approach to these issues over the last term.
RIEGER: Senator Tim Ayres, we’ll have to leave it there. I appreciate your time. Thanks for joining us on Outback Mornings.
ENDS.
