The AMWU has welcomed the announcement that Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt will be taking on manufacturing as part of her new portfolio, in the latest Bligh Government cabinet reshuffle.

Ms Jarratt has been named Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business.

“Having a specific Minister for Manufacturing is something the AMWU has pushed for for years,” AMWU State Secretary Andrew Dettmer said.

“Manufacturing is a significant employer of Queensland workers, with approximately 200,000 people working in the sector.

“That makes it one of our largest industries. The AMWU has always believed that this makes it worthy of significant Government attention.

“This union works hard to develop the manufacturing sector. This announcement can only enhance Queensland’s reputation as a state that makes things.

“With increasing pressures on the sector from cheap foreign imports and the challenges of exporting to an increasingly globalised world, we need good government policy to ensure the industry continues to flourish.”

Mr Dettmer said that he looked forward to developing a strong relationship with Ms Jarratt.

“We’ll be contacting her immediately to start discussing manufacturing in Queensland and how we can work together,” he said.

“Some key areas for us to develop include State Government procurement policies, working to increase the number of skilled workers in the sector and creating incentives to encourage our manufacturing companies to grow -- nationally and as exporters.

“Ms Jarratt comes from outside the South East of Queensland, as do many of our members and a significant proportion of the industry.

“We look forward to working with her to improve the state of manufacturing in Queensland.”