Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison is calling on One Nation’s newly appointed NSW leader, Mike Newman, to clarify his party’s position on train manufacturing in the Hunter, after a senior party figure criticised the government’s plan to build trains locally.
Pauline Hanson has declared Newman as the party’s NSW leader, with an intention to represent the Hunter at the next state election by contesting the seat of Cessnock. However,m Aitchison says his party has previously questioned whether train manufacturing should occur in the region at all. One Nation’s likely upper house candidate, Stuart Bonds, has publicly criticised the government’s $12 billion investment to bring train manufacturing back to NSW, arguing the state should instead partner with overseas manufacturers.
The government is establishing a new train manufacturing facility in the Hunter, which it says will support up to 780 jobs during construction and 550 ongoing jobs, creating what it describes as a pipeline of skilled manufacturing work for decades. The project reverses a decision by the former Coalition government 12 years ago to send train manufacturing offshore.
Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison said One Nation’s stated position was at odds with its rhetoric on local jobs.
“They talk a big game about Australian jobs, but when we make the decision to bring those jobs home, their answer is to send the work overseas,” she said.
“We want kids growing up in the Hunter to be able to learn a trade, get a good job and build a life in their own community.
“Backing Australian workers means actually giving Australian workers the work, it can’t just be a slogan.
“We want NSW making things again. The Liberals sent these jobs offshore and One Nation is telling us they’d do the same thing.”
