The Nationals have tabled a blueprint to reinvigorate Australia’s declining manufacturing industry, and it focuses on two important issues which have emerged since COVID, creating more Australian made products and “standing up to China’s threats”.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has pushed this blueprint which aims to achieve increased manufacturing by focusing on what has caused Australia’s de-industrialisation.

“The last ten years has seen our manufacturing sector decline precipitously … it’s because our energy costs have gone through the roof, they’ve gone up 91 per cent for Australian manufacturers,” he said.

“And it’s because we’ve seen other countries disregard international trading rules”.

China has “massively subsidized” its industries like the steel industry, which should force Australia to take action at the WTO and “become self-sufficient in steel again”.

He said the lack of cheap energy in Australia has sped up the massive decline in manufacturing in Australia.

The National Party’s new blueprint will include an ambitious target of creating 800,000 new jobs in manufacturing on the back of a new coal fired power plant in the Hunter Valley.

“Let’s get back to producing cheap power like coal let’s try and find a new oil basin which will deliver cheap gas, we’ve got to find oil if you want cheap gas you’ve got to find the other product as well in oil,” Mr Canavan said.

“There are two things people want. they want us to make more stuff here in this country and they want us to stand up to China’s threats and bullying.

“Because Australians want this thing, if we keep pushing for it in the Nationals Party, we’ll eventually get progress.”