Manufacturing News

New Minister sends message to Victorian manufacturing

Just hours after being sworn in as Victoria’s new Minister for Manufacturing, Export and Trade, Richard Dalla-Riva travelled to Australia’s manufacturing heartland in south east Melbourne last Thursday to meet 120 SEMMA members and guests, sending a strong signal about the incoming Government’s commitment to the State’s manufacturing sector.

Accompanied by Ryan Smith, previously the Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and now the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, both Ministers met with SEMMA members at the organisation’s Christmas Cocktail evening.

During the event the Ministers took the opportunity to speak at length with many SEMMA members, in the process gaining a keen understanding  of members’ issues and challenges and insight regarding their expectations for 2011.

Recognising SEMMA in his opening remarks Ryan Smith stated that the organisation was a significant contributor to the growth and sustainability of local manufacturing and acknowledged SEMMA as “a great voice for manufacturing in Melbourne’s south east”. 

In his first speech as Manufacturing Minister, Richard Dalla-Riva spoke to the gathering advising that Victoria is the only state with a Manufacturing portfolio and this was designed to set the agenda for moving Victoria forward.

He acknowledged SEMMA’s valued contribution to the Government’s new manufacturing policy initiatives and stated that it would be Government policy to ensure major projects be assessed on total value for money taking into consideration the additional economic contribution that local manufacturing generated to the economy and community.

Minister Dalla-Riva undertook to work with each and every SEMMA member as the Government moved forward its manufacturing agenda.

“SEMMA has a great model which I respect – it is the basis for the manufacturing strength of this region and it can be replicated everywhere,” he said.
 

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