The
NSW opposition has tabled a petition in Parliament containing 12,000
signatures, expressing concern about the state government’s commitment to
manufacturing in the Hunter.
The ABC reports that the petition concerned the procurement process, requesting
Hunter businesses to be favoured to support local jobs.
“More than 100,000 people in the
region have engaged with our social media campaigns on these issues,” the ABC
reports the Australian Manufacturing Workers
Union’s Tim Ayres as saying.
“There
is very strong support in the Hunter Valley for blue collar jobs and a decent
approach to manufacturing policy, because people in the Hunter know what it
means.”
The AMWU’s Build Them Here campaign covers shipbuilding, rail and buses, and included
a march in May supported by “more than 1,500 workers”, according to the union,
in support of Hunter jobs.
The
union has also requested that the federal government bring shipbuilding
projects forward, supporting Forgacs’ operations at Tomago.