ADJOURNMENT

Senator POLLEY (Tasmania) (20:16): I rise to speak about a proud Northern Tasmanian manufacturer with deep roots in our community: ACL Bearing Company. For generations, ACL has been part of the industrial story of Northern Tasmania. Precision engine bearings have been manufactured in Launceston since 1949, building on wartime engineering work in the 1940s and growing into a business with a global reputation for quality, precision and performance.

ACL's heritage in Launceston stretches back more than seven decades, and that long history matters because it tells us some important things: Tasmanians can manufacture products for global supply chains, Tasmanians can compete, Tasmanian manufacturing is still important to our state, and it has a future worth fighting for. ACL is not just a factory; it's a major employer and community partner.

The business currently employs 65 people and contributes an estimated $6 million to $7 million to the Northern Tasmanian economy each year. Those are not just figures on a page; they represent local families, local mortgages, local spending in our shops and cafes and support for small businesses across the region. ACL has earned its social licence through decades of investment in the community through the PCYC, Smith Family scholarships, support for Brooks High School, the Cancer Council morning tea, save the Tasmanian devil fund and Tasmanian national and international motorsports, in particular, in the supercar series with the Penrite-Grove racing entry.

This is a company that has not simply operated in Northern Tasmania; it has been woven into the fabric of Northern Tasmania. ACL is family, yet ACL now faces serious pressures. At present, thanks to the US, the company is paying 25 per cent tariffs.

That means one-quarter of the profits are being lost to tariffs alone. To put that plainly, if ACL makes $4 million in profit, $1 million is paid in tariffs. For any manufacturer, that is a heavy burden.

There is a threat of a further 12 per cent tariff being imposed on ACL imports into the United States, which is what their president has declared. It would be destructive to that company and to our community. Half of ACL's products go into the US market, and their major competitor is, of course, an American company.

If that market becomes unviable overnight the consequences for this business, for its workers and for Northern Tasmania will be profound. At the same time, the business is also dealing with the rising costs of steel, copper and other critical inputs, which puts even more pressure on that competitiveness. This is a strong business, and we must keep it in Tasmania.

It must continue to be supported in order for it to flourish so future generations have the opportunity to work there. But this challenge must be understood in the broader context of what Northern Tasmania is facing. We have seen the announcement that Boag's Brewery will cease making beer in Northern Tasmania.

We have seen concerns about Liberty Bell Bay as it fights to keep its doors open to protect 216 people's jobs and others who rely on that industry and to sustain the many small businesses around Northern Tasmania that depend on that company. We know what it means when major employers come under pressure. It's not abstract.

It is felt in households, in local communities and across the wider economy. At a time like this, Tasmania must remain open for business and Tasmanian workers must know that we all are prepared to stand with them. That is why supporting ACL matters.

It's also why broader trade settings matter. A free trade agreement with the European Union should be welcomed. Equally, trade agreements with the United States should work to support Australian exporters, not leave them exposed.

Australian manufacturing must be backed by all governments, and businesses like ACL should be able to access export grants and practical assistance so they can remain competitive in difficult global conditions. They're happy to compete with the world's best because that's the market that they are exporting to. But, when we talk about supporting local manufacturing, we're talking about more than economics.

We're talking about people, capability, sovereignty, skills, pride and place. We're talking about the rights of regional communities to have secure jobs and strong industries. ACL has a proud history of more than 75 years of manufacturing in Launceston, with origins reaching back, as I said, to wartime production and a workforce of 66 when they opened in Mowbray.

Most of us have had family or friends working there over those 75 years. The history deserves recognition, but, more importantly, it deserves a future. If we want Northern Tasmania to thrive, if we want our young people to see opportunities there and if we want our regional economies to remain resilient, then we must support companies like ACL and the Tasmanian workers who rely on them.

I commend Chris Brooks and Mark Shadbolt for leading ACL every single day and the workers that make this business the special business and the family that it is. Tasmania has always been capable of making world-class products. We should never stop backing those who still do.

I want to highlight some of the other things that are affecting not just the Tasmanian community but all Australians. Australia is a strong country. We are a modern, generous and confident nation built by people from every background, every faith and every part of the globe.

I've spoken many times about how our strengths have always come from the simple idea that we are better when we look after one another, when we reward hard work and when we face the future together. I speak often in this place about what I believe and what I stand for because that's what democracy is all about. We don't always have to agree in this chamber, but our democracy is worth fighting for and defending.

I have to say that the views that have been expressed in this place and elsewhere in recent times, like One Nation's politics, are so disgraceful. One Nation doesn't stand for anything. They're not a party of solutions.

We had a contribution earlier this evening from Senator Scarr about the SBS. Australia is made up of people from around the globe. SBS is an important part of our culture, and it should be supported.

I commend the senator for his contribution and associate myself with his contribution. One Nation is a party of division and misinformation. They don't bring anything to Australia other than to challenge Australians and have them stand up against each other in division.

They do nothing in terms of fighting for the rights of Australian workers. They talk about how they're friends of the worker, but what they say when they're outside this place and what they do and the votes that they cast in this place matter. Australians are not silly.

I'm proud to be part of a Labor government that has delivered so much for Australia and for the Australian people. We've delivered tax cuts to 13 million Australians. We've provided cheaper child care and supported early childhood educators.

We back in higher wages for Australians. We want safer workplaces. We don't want bosses to be able to sack people as One Nation are advocating for.

We believe in superannuation. We believe in parental leave. We believe that women who leave the workforce to care and have their children should be supported.

They should be able to have access to child care. They should have the best. We believe that Australians deserve to have cheaper medicines.

They need to have access to acute care when they need it in our hospitals, but they also need to be able to access, which we've provided, the urgent care clinics around the country. They are being supported and delivering the health care that Australians deserve and need. We should not be pitting one Australian against the other.

We should not be saying that people that have come from other nations do not have the same rights as we all have, because there are very few of us that are really the first people of this place. We're fortunate, in this chamber after so many years, to have so many First Nations people. I'm proud to stand with those people, and I will fight every day for our democracy.