PERTH, Australia—Australia should follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to revitalising domestic manufacturing, according to a resident attending a rally opposing “mass migration” and foreign lobbying.
The rally, held on Oct. 18, was part of the “Australia Marches” national campaign organised by the Australian Lobby Group (ALG), which is undertaking a 10-week national tour of the country with Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne next on the agenda.
Among those attending the Perth rally was Jason McNamara, who contested the seat of Armadale for the Liberal Party in Western Australia’s 2025 state election.
McNamara raised concerns about Australia’s reliance on overseas workers and the hollowing out of domestic manufacturing and apprenticeships.
“I speak with small businesses every day, and they tell me how they’re affected by migration,” he told The Epoch Times.
McNamara claimed some manufacturers were hiring cheaper welders from the Philippines at the expense of local apprenticeships.
“It stops the apprentices coming through becoming boilermakers; they can’t find jobs in that industry.”
He argued Australia needed to rebuild its manufacturing capabilities and become more self-reliant, particularly amid the possibility of international conflicts.
“You may not like Donald Trump, and that’s fair enough … but his ideas of what we need to bring here is bring manufacturing back and to make Australia strong again,” he said.
“In case anything happens, we rely on Australian resources and Australian trades. We don’t need other countries.”
Australian authorities have spent billions bailing out manufacturing facilities over the past year from a flood of cheap Chinese goods.
This includes $2.5 billion to the Tomago Aluminium smelter, $2 billion to rescue the Boyne Aluminium Smelter, $600 million to Glencore’s Mount Isa Copper Smelter and Townsville Refinery, $2.4 billion to the Whyalla Steelworks, $200 million to the Bell Bay Aluminium Smelter in Tasmania, and $135 million to the lead and zync Nyrstar Smelters.
Local Builder Also Backs Manufacturing Revival
Paul Fimognari, a builder who ran for the federal seat of Moore for One Nation in the 2025 election, also called for domestic manufacturing to be renewed.
He argues that Australia should process more of its natural resources locally rather than exporting it overseas, to then import manufactured goods.
“We’re the biggest coal exporter in the world. Yet, we have a government that seems to not like coal,” he told The Epoch Times
“I’m all for exporting what we’ve got to the world. If we can add value to it here, that’s even better.
“So get iron ore out, make steel. But to do that, we need cheap energy.”
Fimognari criticised the government’s energy policies, arguing that Australia was exporting coal to provide affordable energy overseas while discouraging its use domestically.
National Campaign Against Mass Migration
The Perth rally followed earlier events in Brisbane and Darwin, with organisers estimating that 4,000 to 5,000 people attended the Brisbane gathering on Sept. 13.
The group’s next stop is Adelaide on Oct. 25, followed by rallies in Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra.
Scott Challen, head of the ALG, previously told The Epoch Times that the group has already met with thousands of Australians across their tour.
“What makes this story interesting is that we’re not a political party,” Challen previously said.
A semi-trailer sponsored by The Australian Lobby Group promoting: "End Mass Migration" and "End Foreign Lobbying." Courtesy of The Australian Lobby Group
“We’re building an independent, grassroots advocacy organisation that aims to give ordinary Australians a stronger voice in the national policy debate.”
Among the speakers in Perth were Sam Bamford, an Australian military Afghan combat veteran and host of the podcast 2 Worlds Collide, One Nation MLC Rod Caddies, and MLA Luke Herdegen.
In August, Herdegen won the by-election in the Western Australia seat of Secret Harbour, which was triggered after Labor Minister Paul Papalia retired, having held the seat since 2007.
The Perth rally was initially scheduled for Langley Park, but organisers said the venue was changed after their permit was revoked.
Hanh Vu and Rebecca Zhu contributed to this article.
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