Today in Budget Estimates, the Minister for Finance and Natural Resources sidestepped Abigail's questions on the NSW Government's intentions on weapons manufacturing within the State.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Good morning. Is it your Government's plan to make weapons manufacturing a major part of our domestic manufacturing mix?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS (Minister for Finance, Minister for Natural Resources): Ms Boyd, we are working on a range of measures to rebuild our manufacturing industry here in New South Wales.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: In relation to domestic manufacturing, though, is it your understanding that weapons manufacture is going to be a major part of the mix under the Labor Government?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: I would say that, in relation to my ministerial responsibilities, I'm particularly interested in the government procurement opportunities and leveraging those to support our domestic manufacturing industry. We know that for every direct job in manufacturing, there are a further 3.5 in the supply chain. But my ministerial responsibilities are largely limited to the opportunities within government procurement. Broader industry policy is really a matter for Minister Chanthivong.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: In your ministerial diaries, on 21 February you met with a range of different stakeholders including the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, but also including Circuitwise, Romar Engineering, Carbonix and a bunch of others. What was that round table in relation to?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: That was a round table that the Australian manufacturing growth centre hosted for me as part of my regular industry engagement. There was a representative of the manufacturing growth centre at our announcement on Tuesday.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Did you discuss weapons manufacturing at that meeting?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: I don't recall discussing that. I'm not aware of the New South Wales Government procuring weapons. I'm happy to be corrected on that, but really my focus is about finding the opportunities with government procurement and domestic manufacturing.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: But we're talking about domestic manufacturing. Circuitwise and Romar Engineering both provide electronics for weapons. Carbonix provides drones, including for military and surveillance and some of that really nasty application of drones in war. Were you aware that you were meeting with companies that were involved in providing weapons?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: The Australian manufacturing growth centre is an organisation that has previously received Federal Government funding and has been a way of bringing manufacturers together. I asked them to convene a round table of a range of stakeholders that would provide me with input about how they engage with government procurement policies and how they find that process.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: I appreciate that, and I'm certainly not criticising the activities you've been doing around procurement policy. On 7 November last year, you had what's specified as a TAFE round table. Again, there were a number of companies at that round table who are involved in providing component parts for weapons. Were you aware of that when you had that meeting?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: That particular round table was convened by the skills Minister. I'm happy to be corrected, but I do think that may have been on the site of where the Premier, the skills Minister and our Federal counterparts are announcing today that we will be at Wetherill Park TAFE doing one of the advanced manufacturing centres for excellence. It was in the context of what are the skills that we need to be putting into Western Sydney, what are the opportunities that we can be unlocking and how can we be training our workforce in order to access those opportunities.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: In relation to that we've seen, both around Newcastle Airport and now around the proposed Western Sydney airport, a bunch of agreements and memorandums of understanding with companies that manufacture weapons—particularly global weapons manufacturers—and also connections with skills, TAFE and universities to try to skill up people to work in those industries, is it your Government's intention to provide a workforce for the global weapons manufacturers in New South Wales?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: In relation to the skills part of that question, I think that's really probably a question for Minister Whan and Minister Chanthivong, in relation to the opportunities that they see more broadly across industry. The thing that I am most concerned about from the skills component in my portfolio is what I announced earlier this week, which is that on government procurement projects over $7.5 million, we will be requiring 20 per cent of the trades workforce to be apprentices.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Sure but, coming back to these questions, you've been carrying out these round tables in relation to the jobs and investments authority. There is obviously a large overlap between companies that are involved in mining and the export of coal and companies that could be involved in weapons manufacture. Is there a risk that we are draining our workforce that could be used for green energy projects and instead redirecting them towards weapons manufacture in New South Wales?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: I would say that questions about our future industries, where we should be fostering those and how we can be supporting them are really best directed to Minister Chanthivong. The opportunities for our clean energy future I completely agree with.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: What's the jobs and investment authority doing, then, if it's not shepherding communities and businesses that are currently in those communities into other industries?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: Specifically in relation to future jobs and investment authorities, what are they doing?
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Yes. Are they going to be directing people into the hands of weapons manufacturers?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: We've now got a team set up within NSW Resources to be able to set up our future jobs and investment authorities. But, as you may be aware, consultation has just closed on our issues paper that we released. I think there were 89 submissions that we received as part of that process, and we're working through exactly what the structures will be. We want to be able to partner with local communities as we create those local investment authorities.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: What has the feedback been from the round tables, then? Because those round tables have involved a lot of those companies that are currently reliant on the coal industry and on coal export and also the same industries that could be used and redirected towards weapons manufacture. I don't want to labour the point too much, but people are very concerned that New South Wales is going to be replacing coal export with weapons export, given the cluster of these industries around our airports. What do you know, Minister, about your Government's intention in relation to weapons manufacture in New South Wales?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: I have to say most of the conversations at those round tables have been about unlocking future opportunities.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: The draft New South Wales industry blueprint that Minister Chanthivong has been consulting on talks about so-called defence, which we know means weapons manufacture, as being a focus sector for New South Wales's industry. Are you saying that that has not played into the development of the jobs and investments authority and what transition might look like for coal communities?
The Hon. COURTNEY HOUSSOS: No, but I think you highlight a really good point, which is the coordination across government, which will be a crucial role for the authorities, and finding those opportunities, whether that be across Investment NSW or within our industry policy, and facilitating those. As you outlined, that is still a draft blueprint. We would certainly expect that once our future jobs and investment authorities are up and running, they would be working closely with our colleagues in Investment NSW and across government to be finding those opportunities. The other key part of the conversation is around planning and how we can be making sure that we are facilitating the formerly job-supporting lands and making sure that those jobs are actually continuing on.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Will you rule out New South Wales becoming a weapons manufacturing hub?
5 September 2024