GILLARD SHAMELESSLY SPINS ON INDUSTRY POLICY
13-October-2010
Wednesday October 13th
Another week, another set of extraordinary contradictions from Labor on industry policy.
Julia Gillard’s audacious claim yesterday that her Government isn’t interested in “throw(ing) cash at those who lose from reform” directly conflicts with Labor policy.
Labor’s spending over the last three years can in no way be described as showing “good discipline”, whether it’s billions of dollars on over-inflated school halls or on ever-increasing, so-called industry assistance.
Under Labor, the total spent on industry support blew out to $17.2 billion in 2008-09. To add to that bill, it has also already announced spending since May 2009 of at least another $6.2 billion in the years ahead. (Source: Productivity Commission, Trade & Assistance Review 2008-09.)
Industry Minister Kim Carr repeatedly boasts about the volume of this spending – without being able to identify any serious practical achievements to show for it.
Mr Carr essentially gave the game away earlier this year when he released a report which he said would describe “what has been achieved over the last two years” in his portfolio. Laughably, the overwhelming majority of the statistics in the document actually related to the Howard Government’s period in office. (Source: Department of Innovation, Australian Innovation System Report 2010.)
Australian businesses are sick and tired of being bullied by a Government in permanent spin mode. They need policy vision, consistency and real reform to address some of the challenges confronting local industry – such as the:
· recent contractions in activity in sectors such as manufacturing, construction and services;
· lack of quality, well-targeted industry programs;
· ill-advised demolition by Mr Carr of key innovation incentives such as support for R&D and commercialisation;
· twin problems of rising interest rates and the high Australian dollar; and
· loss of more than 73,000 manufacturing jobs over the last three years.
Labor must stop trying to deceive Australians. It has been incapable of producing a vision for the future and is even less able to rein in Government spending.