After taking the axe to the public sector, the Baillieu Government is now set to put Australian private sector jobs at risk, and break a major election commitment, by reducing its preference for local suppliers to Victorian major projects.

The AMWU understands that the State Government is set to remove the preference for Victorian content from government tenders today.

The Victorian Industry Participation Policy has ensured that companies bidding for the State Governments annual procurement expenditure of $1.5 billion try to compete by increasing local jobs for major projects.

AMWU Victorian Secretary, Steve Dargavel said removing this preference for local companies in major projects would be a disaster by reducing the demand for Victorian produced products.

Examples of local firms who have benefited from the current system of preference for local manufacturers are available on request.

“Victoria is Australia’s manufacturing state. The Victorian Government’s current system has ensured that Victorian manufacturing workers played a key role in supplying the infrastructure of this state.

“This has delivered jobs and money back into our local economy. If the Baillieu Government walks away from this commitment to local jobs it will be doing what very few countries around the world do – supporting imports over its own industry.

“Victorian manufacturing is already doing it tough and the Baillieu Government should in fact be lifting its commitment to local employment, by increasing preference to local industry” said Mr Dargavel.