Hunter industry was at the forefront of the federal government's push to reinvigorate Australia's manufacturing industry, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a visit to Newcastle.
Mr Albanese was at Varley Engineering's Carrington workshop on Wednesday to discuss how the government was assisting existing industries to transform while also creating new industries.
It was the same location where Mr Albanese launched Labor's Rail Manufacturing plan in October 2020.
"I want to pay credit to the workers and management here at Varley who are producing things for Australia," he said.
"We know from the pandemic that we were left vulnerable and we know there could be other pandemics and other international shocks. There are a range of reasons national economies have to be more resilient.
"(Varley) Shows we can make things here, not just for the domestic market but we can make things here for international market. It's good for Australia, it's good for jobs and it's good for our economy. "
The Prime Minister's visit followed the first meeting of the National Reconstruction Fund Board on Monday.
"One of the things I said in the lead-up to the election was that I wanted a future made in Australia. There is nothing we can do that is more important than to make more things here. This decade will determine whether we move forward or whether we stand still and the world moves past us. Projects like the National Reconstruction Fund are designed to do just that," he said.
