Looking to future in innovative region

A TOUR of Geelong region companies at the forefront of innovation would inform federal Opposition policy, Corangamite MP Libby Coker said yesterday.

Ms Coker, and ALP colleague Clare O’Neil – the Opposition spokeswoman on innovation, technology and the future of work – visited Point Lonsdale and Moolap businesses that are diversifying their operations.

Ms Coker said GT Recycling, in consultation with Deakin University and Godfrey Hirst Carpets, had developed a concrete prototype made partly using shredded carpet.

“It is basically going to be used for footpaths. It basically is more durable, stronger and more long-lasting,” she said.

She said carpet shredded at GT Recycling had been used with success at its Moolap base. The company is also pelletising car bumper bars through a process called polypropylene extrusion to aid in the recycling process.

Ms Coker said Ms O’Neil also stopped at Lonsdale Hydroponics, which is using an innovative app that allows the tomato grower to maintain automatic watering schedules and the growing climate needed inside glasshouses. “(The tour of the region) will inform us about policy and how we can respond to businesses that need a helping hand,” Ms Coker said.

“If we are going to be globally competitive, we need to change.”

The pair also visited the Surf Coast Shire to discuss the Nature of Jobs digital transformation project and ManuFutures at Deakin University.