Support local, secure our future
By Sam Birrell MP, Federal Member for Nicholls
MY Aunt who is in her 70s lives in Melbourne but grew up in Shepparton and she was recently in the Alfred Hospital for a few days and was appalled when the food she was given included a snack pack of peaches imported from China.
When she told me, I too was appalled but not surprised. Government procurement at both State and Federal levels is not as focused as it should be on buying local. What is the rationale of governments financially supporting regional businesses (as the Victorian government did with SPC some years ago) and then not supporting their ongoing viability by not purchasing their products?
Yes, the price of the imported product might be less but the value of supporting local spreads through our communities in jobs and economic activity.
The story is similar with Med-Con; at the height of the pandemic the then-Coalition Government worked with them to significantly increase its output of face masks. Just recently, the then-Minister, Karen Andrews, told me the team at Med-Con was incredible to work with – nothing was too hard. But now the pandemic is over and supply chains have resumed – what is the first thing the Victorian Labor Government does? It goes straight back to the cheap Chinese alternative.
If we want to stimulate Australian manufacturing and mitigate sovereign risk, then government grants have their place but procurement policies that favour Australian-made products are an essential part of the solution. The Albanese Government seems intent on a big spend with a significant amount paying for more bureaucrats in Canberra, but wouldn’t it be great if some of that taxpayer money could support Australian jobs in private enterprise?
Whilst the government has a role to play in this, we can also help our regional communities by buying local this Christmas. Our region offers some of the best produce in the world and our towns have hidden gems of handmade items that have so much more value than a piece of imported plastic.
Wishing you and your families a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. I look forward to catching up with many of you in 2025.
