Dear Editor,
This Christmas will be tough for the 49,000 Victorians who lost their job in October and for small business owners, like those in hospitality and accommodation, that are still desperately struggling to fill staffing rosters.
News this week from the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government of a $103 billion rebound in our national economy is an early Christmas present we all benefit from.
But it’s a stark contrast to the recent news of the ballooning $162 billion debt hole in the Victorian economy.
Victoria risks being left behind without new, bold ideas to set our state on track to recover and rebuild.
The Victorian Liberals and Nationals believe that restoring our state’s crown as the nation’s manufacturing powerhouse is a crucial step towards this goal.
Three decades ago, manufacturing employment accounted for about 17.2 per cent of our state’s jobs market.
At the end of August 2021, that had sunk to 8.4 per cent.
The COVID pandemic is just one contributor to this decline.
Investment in the private sector to assist in job creation is what the Liberal and National parties do best.
That is why at this critical time, we will make it a priority to recover and rebuild our manufacturing sector with a $2.5 billion Rebuilding Jobs, Bringing Manufacturing Home Fund.
It will create thousands of jobs, provide huge certainty for our supply chains that are currently lacking and give career choices to young people, particularly those outside of Melbourne with a minimum of $1 billion to be spend in regional Victoria.
Globally, manufacturing is transforming rapidly, and Victoria must keep up.
A vibrant manufacturing sector is critically important to help our state recover and rebuild.