I am proud to be born and raised in the Hunter and consider it a point of pride to represent our terrific region and its hard working families.

The Newcastle Herald recently reported on the 4000 lost jobs across the Hunter's manufacturing industry.

Manufacturing in this country is shrinking because this government hasn't been stepping up and supporting Australia's manufacturing capacity.

For seven long years they have controlled the Treasury purse strings, and for seven long years we've watched as they've let the manufacturing industry and the jobs that go with it get honeycombed in Australia.

This pandemic has provided everyday Australians with a spotlight on the government's failure to support local jobs.

I have long been calling for our region to have its share of federal investment to kick start our local economy while we recover from current pandemic.

It is an utter disgrace that during this pandemic we can't even produce our own PPE.

Both the state and federal governments have been frantically playing catch up and it is a national disgrace.

Our national economy is struggling. But the Hunter region has been the shoulders upon which this nation has been standing for decades.

We have drawn the coal, produced the energy, made the steel, built the ships and produced the aluminium while this government is asleep at the wheel.

During an already challenging time for workers, the Premier of New South Wales recently said: "Australia and New South Wales are not good at building trains, that's why we have to purchase them".

Like many in the Hunter, I was personally offended.

The Hunter is proud of our rich manufacturing history and for this out-of-touch Liberal Government to suggest we're not very good at building trains, it is a disgrace.

A Labor Government will restore jobs and grow manufacturing industry back to its former glory, because we back our own here in the Hunter and we know that workers in our regions have plenty to be proud of.