HANSARD EXTRACT
| Adjournment:
Western Sydney Industrial Awards |
| 23 June 2005 |
Mr HAYES
(Werriwa)
(11.19
a.m.)—We
often hear people speak of the importance of
Western Sydney
as a centre of population and economic growth and as a centre of
influence over the future development of Sydney, our most global
city.
Western Sydney
is the economic powerhouse of
Australia, with more than 150 of
Australia’s
top 500 companies located in the Greater Western Sydney region. From
its humble beginnings as a manufacturing centre, today
Western Sydney
is home to many small, medium and large firms focused on innovation,
export and growth.
Last Friday night I had the honour to see the best of our industries
on display at the 2005 Western Sydney Industry Awards. While highly
focused and highly innovative companies are operating throughout the
region, I was pleased to see that a number of businesses operating
in the electorate of Werriwa were among the finalists. With so many
businesses operating out of the nearly 1,000 hectares of business
parks located in Campbelltown, Leumeah, Ingleburn and Minto, it came
as no surprise that some of the finalists were from Werriwa.
One such award winner was Broens Industries from Ingleburn. Broens
has operated for more than 25 years, designing and manufacturing
high tech solutions for precision engineering, tooling, special
purpose machinery and automation applications. It currently exports
to 17 countries and includes among its customers companies such as
Mercedes Benz, Ford, GM, Boeing and Airbus. The company employs 150
people, including 27 apprentices, and is reported to invest around
30 per cent of its annual turnover in process development and new
products. Broens took out the very prestigious Global Excellence
Award and the Most Outstanding Large Business Award—fitting tributes
to its efforts.
However, Broens was not the only company with a base in Werriwa to
take home awards that night. Reln, a manufacturer and distributor of
surface water drainage and effluent disposal products, based in
Ingleburn, took out the Excellence in Innovation Award. Reln’s
environmentally responsible solutions and recycling products are now
distributed to more than 350 local governments in
Australia. The Luemeah based business Editricks also received a
special mention. Since 1992, Editricks has specialised in the
ongoing filming, collection and preservation of historical film and
video—especially that from the
Macarthur
region. Editricks is also an excellent corporate citizen,
contributing to its community by taking on projects for charitable
organisations and community events. I looked through the many and
varied finalists and noticed one thing that the vast majority of
them had in common: these companies are innovators in their field
and all make regular and significant investments in research and
development.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to comment on the report of the
Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations and Workforce
Participation, Working for
Australia’s future,
when it was presented in this chamber. However I did not touch on
the discussion of research and development contained in the report.
The report highlights the need for more research and development by
Australian business. A common view is that as a nation we need to
invest much more in research and development if we are going to
maintain a competitive position in the global economy. Submissions
to the committee noted that Australian and New Zealand are the only
two OECD countries in which private investment in research and
development is lower than public investment. The success of the
Werriwa based companies I have mentioned—the fact that they remain
at the cutting edge and receive awards for innovation and
excellence—rests on their understanding of the importance of
research and development. They know that to remain at the forefront
of their field they have to invest in research and continue to
develop new and innovative processes and new and innovative
products.
The example set by the finalists of the Western Sydney Industry
Awards is not one that should be lost on any of us in terms of the
future of Australian industry if we are to maintain our forefront
position as we approach competition in challenging global markets.
All of these businesses are to be congratulated for their
outstanding achievements. These businesses invest in their local
areas, provide local jobs, contribute to their communities and
continue to invest in research and development to help themselves
innovate and grow.
I congratulate all of the businesses who so deservingly received
awards on the night and I look forward to businesses in Western
Sydney, and in particular those in south-west Sydney continuing to
make an outstanding contribution to the Australian economy—both on
the national and on the international stage. (Time expired)
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