13 June 2012, 130612, AMWU, apprenticeships, Australian economy, Australian workers, clive palmer, infrastructure, local manufacturers, mining companies, mining giants, ship building, TIm Ayres
Tim Ayres wishes Clive Palmer and other mining giants would give local manufacturers a go instead of heading overseas.
When Clive Palmer recently announced his replica of the Titanic would be built in China due to the lack of ship building facilities in Australia, the AMWU hit back with a video clip showing the 500-strong workforce at a Newcastle shipyard.
It’s all part of the AMWU’s campaign, Build Them Here, appealing to government to set local content targets on some of the massive construction and transport projects to ensure local manufacturers get contracts ahead of low cost overseas competitors — as is often the case in the mining industry.
Tim Ayres, the NSW secretary for the AMWU, tells 3Q that local manufacturers can build heavy infrastructure – they just need to be given the opportunity. In doing so, new jobs and apprenticeships will be created, valuable intellectual property is developed and the knock on effect strengthens the economy.
apprenticeships, Australian jobs, employment, Industrial Relations, investment, renewable energy, Voting intention
Q. To what extent do you agree that the following measures will improve job creation and investment in Australia?
| Total Agree | Total Agree – Labor | Total Agree – Lib/Nat | Total Agree- Greens | ||
| Increasing the number of apprenticeships | 88% | 89% | 91% | 87% | |
| Giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development | 79% | 80% | 83% | 83% | |
| Boosting investment in renewable energy technologies | 75% | 80% | 71% | 88% | |
| Requiring companies to use Australian made steel in large infrastructure projects | 73% | 77% | 77% | 69% | |
| Implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business | 57% | 45% | 75% | 41% | |
| Bringing back tariffs on products imported from overseas | 52% | 52% | 58% | 40% | |
| Introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people | 41% | 26% | 65% | 18% |
Increasing the number of apprenticeships, giving incentives to companies that invest in research and development, and requiring companies to use Australia made steel in large infrastructure projects all receive a consistent level of endorsement across party lines.
Labor voters are more likely to agree with boosting investment in renewable energy technologies (80% total agree) as a measure to improve job creation and investment in Australia, as are Greens voters (88% total agree).
Labor voters are less likely to agree with implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business (45% total agree) and introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people (26% total agree).
Coalition voters are the most likely to agree with the industrial relations reforms, with 75% agreeing with implementing industrial relations changes that give more flexibility to business and 65% agreeing with introducing industrial relations reforms to make it easier to hire and fire people.