Labor leader u/dyljam joins Leigh Sales in ABC's 730 program to discuss sovereign manufacturing, industry, jobs and energy.

LS: "My next guest tonight is leader of the Australian Labor Party, dyljam. Thank you for your time this evening."

D: "It's my pleasure to be here Leigh."

LS: "Firstly, I want to note your recent announcement surrounding manufacturing, what exactly do you propose?"

D: "Leigh I'm proposing that the government actually supports local, sovereign manufacturing. This means supporting local jobs. Often manufacturing depend on the government, whether it be for government contracts or grants, or any other support to help them develop their product and employ local people."

LS: "Can you explain what you mean by sovereign manufacturing?"

D: "Sovereign manufacturing is manufacturing in Australia, and it's important for two reasons. Firstly, it's important for jobs. We have a massive skilled workforce which is under threat from the government's agenda of offshoring jobs for the lowest possible price. But there is also a second, very important reason for sovereign manufacturing. It is imperative on national security grounds that we maintain the ability to manufacture goods here if the geopolitical status erodes further. We saw during COVID, countries manufacturing vaccines expressed a desire to prioritise those vaccines for their own people. We cannot keep relying on other countries to do things for us."

LS: "How does this relate back to your energy and climate change agenda?"

D: "Well, Leigh, a Labor government will help out businesses who need extra support in transitioning to renewable energy, particularly those small businesses who are struggling to stay afloat as it is. These pressures on small businesses were compounded further during the pandemic, and we do not want small business to have to choose between transitioning to clean energy or shutting the doors, or laying off staff, for that matter."

LS: "Now on energy, a popular topic today is surrounding clean energy vehicles. How will a Labor government induce such an uptake?"

D: "You firstly need to get the infrastructure in place, otherwise no one will buy electric or hydrogen vehicles because it would be impractical. I very much believe that electric and hydrogen vehicles are going to become more popular in Australia over the coming years, but you need to get the infrastructure right first. So a Labor government will seek to expand electric charging and hydrogen re-fueling facilities right across the country, and we will work with industry to help them upgrade their fleets. Hydrogen will be a big player when it comes to heavy vehicles, but many of these vehicle operators only own a few trucks and don't have the cash to go and splurge on clean energy vehicles without any assistance."

LS: "Do you see a place for electric or hydrogen vehicles to be manufactured in Australia?"

D: "Yes I do, Leigh. I do think there is potential to revive our vehicle manufacturing capabilities in Australia. A Labor government would be very happy to work with vehicle manufacturers to bring jobs back home. Don't forget, it was the Libs who dared manufacturers to leave Australia. The treasurer actually dared them to leave. Now, that backfired on the Abbott government spectacularly, didn't it? And you know what? Many of those workers who were stood down were never able to get back into the workforce, and some who did had to take more menial positions which was a complete waste of their skills. Our message is that it's time to bring manufacturing back home."

LS: "dyljam, thank you for your time this evening."

D: "It's been a pleasure."