Abbott Government Abandons Victorian Apparel Workers
Minister for Industry, Lily D’Ambrosio, today urged the Abbott Government to save over 70 jobs at Victorian-based defence apparel supplier, The Workwear Group, by bringing forward orders for new combat uniforms and other defence garments.
The Federal Defence Minister and Victorian MP Kevin Andrews’ Department has informed Workwear that it will reduce its 2015-16 order to zero, after ordering an average of 130,000 uniforms from the company every year for the past 10 years.
Without an order for any combat uniforms in the 2015-16 financial year the defence supplier could be forced to close at the end of June.
Minister for Industry, Lily D’Ambrosio, has this week written to Kevin Andrews, strongly urging him to provide some certainty to the business, as the closure of Workwear would destroy jobs as well as the supply chain.
The combat uniform supply chain is a capability recognised by the Commonwealth as a Priority Industry Capability that should be retained in-country.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Industry, Lily D’Ambrosio
“Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews are abandoning Victorian workers. They need to place an order to save these jobs.”
“They have failed to give Victorian defence manufacturers certainty and now they’re risking our combat uniform supply chain. It’s as senseless as it is heartless.”
“We will stand up to the Abbott Government, so long as they continue to cut jobs and target our workers.”