Webster puts forward manufacturing vision

MEMBER for Mallee Anne Webster says the COVID-19 pandemic may be the region’s wake-up call to diversify industry and increase the region’s productivity.

Dr Webster said while the Mallee already had “some fantastic primary industry”, she was investigating ways in which the region could value-add and play an even more important role in the value of goods and services made in Australia.

She said the region could find a way forward through automation, robotics and technology to value-add to what was being produced in the north-west.

“There’s nothing like a challenge to shake us up and make us look differently at the way we do things,” Dr Webster said.

“The way forward, in my view, is for increased automation, robotics, technology and we’re already going down that path.

“COVID-19 has really catalysed a momentum behind manufacture, whether it’s medical supplies or whether we’re looking at our fabulous primary industry and how we look beyond that to increase the value of our exports and to increase the value of our domestic market.

“I think we’ve had a mentality that volume is our answer and export is our answer.

“We need to think beyond that and look at value-adding so we have the end product in mind and build backwards.

“What does the consumer want and how can we produce that affordably in Mallee? That’s what I’m really interested in seeing — investment.”

Dr Webster said she had already had preliminary discussions with experts in the field as well as SuniTAFE, La Trobe University and others who were keen to further explore the issue.

“I’ve had conversation with La Trobe about increasing our STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) tertiary qualifications because clearly, if we can develop robotics locally, for example, how fantastic,” she said.

“And why shouldn’t we be manufacturing robotics here?

“It seems to me that we must invest in manufacturing and therefore automation, robotics and technology.

“It’s really about how we put the knitting together, how do we connect the dots so that we can progress forward as broader community beyond Mildura to include Mallee.

“We’re already a significant contributor to the GDP (gross domestic product), but we could do so much more to be even a greater contributor.”

Dr Webster said the manufacturing industry could help provide a path for the region to prosper through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What often happens is that we get into a lull — this is what we do, and it’s working really, really well — but clearly at the moment we have some significant challenges with our exports.

“That means that we need to diversify, not just diversify our markets going overseas, but (ask) how can we diversify in our productivity at a local level?”