Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026
Mr FRENCH (Moore) (18:10): When you talk about the strength of the Australian economy, you cannot look past the resources, industry and science sectors. They are the envy of the world. These are the engines of productivity, the creators of jobs and the foundation of our national resilience.
Let's be blunt. These things don't run on opposition critiques. They run on investment, planning and a government with the backbone to build the future, not just romanticise the past.
Mining is not just about holes in the ground and high-vis. It is about prosperity, schools, hospitals and roads, paid for by the royalties and taxes from our resource sector. More than 317,000 Australians are employed in mining, including over 5,000 people in my electorate of Moore.
It's a big reason why the Western Australian economy is so strong. But the future isn't just digging and shipping. It's about value-adding here in Australia.
That's why the Albanese Labor government has committed $17.5 billion to a new Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive. Lithium, cobalt and rare earths—these aren't just rocks. They are the backbone of clean energy technology and defence capability.
For Moore, that means more secure well-paid jobs and a future made right here in WA. That's investment in training, renewables and cultural infrastructure—more on that in my first speech. To those opposite who sneer at government investment, let's remember this.
It wasn't the free market that built Australia's steel industry. It wasn't the free market that anchored our aluminium smelters. It was Labor governments with the guts to back industries essential to national strength.
Today, it is Labor again backing the next wave of nation-building industries. Global supply chains for these minerals are volatile. We've seen it with nickel and lithium.
That's why we're establishing the $1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve. This is not a nice-to-have. It's about sovereignty.
It means Australia won't be left at the altar when international markets get cold feet. Let's not forget: WA is the world's largest lithium producer. Towns like Greenbushes and Kwinana are living proof of what's possible when we do more than just dig and ship—we refine, we process and we create jobs at home.
Labor's vision is clear—a future made in Australia. By investing in advanced manufacturing, we're ensuring that Western Australians don't just dig up the raw materials but also capture the downstream industries. That's how we build resilience and opportunities.
Stakeholders from across Moore, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA to local business in Carine and Kallaroo, see it. They know it's not just about mines. It's about making sure our kids and grandkids have industries to work in that don't even exist today.
That takes a government that thinks ahead, a government with grit. That takes a Labor government. The other side can talk about letting the market decide, but we've seen what that means: jobs offshored, industries hollowed out and communities left behind.
Not on our watch! Before I came to this place, I was an industrial lawyer fighting for workers, and I'll tell you this: only Labor governments back workers. Backing workers means investing in the jobs of tomorrow.
You can't build a future without science. Our partnership of nearly half a billion dollars with the US Geological Survey on the Landsat Next satellite project will ensure Australia remains a global leader in earth sciences. Closer to home, Edith Cowan University in Joondalup is driving breakthroughs in cybersecurity, medical research and space science.
They are training the next generation of Western Australians for high-skilled jobs that we haven't yet imagined. Digital transformation is not a buzzword. It's the battleground for competition.
If you fall behind, you don't just lose contracts; you lose industries. Whether it's innovation in Joondalup, med-tech breakthroughs at ECU or small-business growth across suburbs like Currambine and Kingsley, the digital economy is creating real jobs, right here in Moore, and that's why we're backing R&D hubs and international partnerships. Why are we doing this?
Because it delivers for people, for families, in my electorate of Moore. It means a kid in Woodvale can study at ECU, step straight into a high-paying job in cyber or advanced manufacturing and build a life without leaving their community. It means local businesses can diversify, compete and thrive.
That's the difference. Labor builds the future; the opposition just comments on it. We're not here to sit on the sidelines and wring our hands.
We're here to make sure the benefits of Australia's resources industry and science flow to every community, including Moore.