The announcement by Simplot Australia today that its Bathurst and Devonport food manufacturing plants are under threat of closure surely must be a reality check for the Gillard Labor government.
Senator for Tasmania Richard Colbeck, who last year chaired the senate select committee into Australia’s food processing sector, said the Government couldn’t just keep loading manufacturing businesses with more and more cost.
“Every time another regulation or cost burden is imposed we are told by the government it isn’t much in the overall scheme of things – but it adds up!” he said.
“While we all know that the Australian dollar has made life difficult for the Australian manufacturing sector, the Gillard Government hasn’t helped.
“The carbon tax – the one we were promised we wouldn’t have – pushes up the price of energy, refrigeration and imposes a carbon tax liability on some manufacturers.
“Regulations have increased the cost of coastal shipping making it more costly to transport product.
“We have an industrial relations system that is out of balance and unions which seem to be more interested in the size of the redundancy payout than keeping Australians in jobs.
“Increased government costs to access export markets through increased export fees and charges
“And this Government’s complete failure to gain access to critical markets through free trade agreements is making us even less competitive.
“It is time the Gillard government started removing barriers and costs for Australian business rather than imposing them. In fact, it is past time they woke up.
“If plants like Bathurst and Devonport are to have a future, real change has to happen.”
SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK Senator for Tasmania Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
