Opposition eyes industry programs to rein in spending

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Opposition eyes industry programs to rein in spending

A domestic solar manufacturing program and other industry-shaping policies look set for the chopping block if the coalition wins the next election.

Budget cuts are key to the opposition’s economic plan, with various measures under Labor’s Future Made in Australia manufacturing push vulnerable.

Opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said the $1 billion going into developing a local solar manufacturing industry and another half-billion for battery-making were examples of “undisciplined or unnecessary spending”.

“There’s plenty in the government’s coffers that is unnecessary or undisciplined, so pushing inflation up further,” Senator Hume told ABC’s Insiders on Sunday.

There would be no cuts to essential services, including health, aged pension or childcare, she promised.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers questioned the commitment to essential services, saying the opposition had “made it very clear they don’t think the aged pension should have been indexed to keep up with inflation”.

“Labor is providing more help with the cost of living and the coalition would provide less help with cost of living,” he said on Sunday.

The opposition has also been critical of production tax credits, the centrepiece of government’s Future Made in Australia plan.

Senator Hume said tax incentives would be going to critical mineral processing companies for work they were already doing.

She kept the door open for policies to support the industry, including more flexibility in the industrial relations system.

The opposition plans to review the federal government’s suite of workplace reforms, with the senator confirming the ‘same job same pay’ laws would be included.

The laws ensure labour hire workers, commonly used in the mining industry, receive the same pay as permanent workers.

Senator Hume said the goal of the review was not to pay workers less but to “inject productivity back into the system”.

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