At their peak 50 years ago, the railyards employed over 600 people. Since it's privatisation in 1999, its workers - currently numbering 70 - have built over 100 trains.

First, the workers at these yards built and serviced steam trains, then diesel, and now are building, maintaining and upgrading trains for Melbourne's metropolitan network. The only constant over this time has been a 50-tonne crane - still in operation today - that was built in 1919.

Recently I met with union representatives and management at the Ballarat site to discuss the challenges they are facing. Unlike other state governments, the Andrews government has ensured that trains for Victorians are made by Victorians. That commitment has been critical in securing the future of Alstom in Ballarat, and I commend the Victorian government for that.

But I understand there is now an urgent need to do more. Alstom revealed to me - and later to the public - that without any more orders, it will be forced to start planning for its exit. This would be devastating for families across Ballarat. If Alstom withdrew, this industrial capacity would be lost to our region, and once lost it's very hard to get that back. During previous gaps between contracts, Alstom paid workers to carry out works that benefit the community. It is not often that you see a company paying its workers to garden, paint rocks and repair community facilities - but that is what Alstom did. Alstom has repeatedly demonstrated that it wants to stay in Ballarat - that it sees a future for the site.

Labor was proud to take to the recent election a National Rail Procurement and Manufacturing Plan to ensure that Australia maintains critical capacity in rail manufacturing. It is important across regional and metropolitan communities. This would break the boom-and-bust cycle of train manufacturing that has bedevilled employers like Alstom, and would have helped ensure that manufacturing jobs building Australian trains remain in Australia.

Other state governments should join Victoria in building trains locally.

It is time for governments at all levels to work together to make sure that these skills and these opportunities remain for Australians into the future. It's important that this manufacturer stays in my community, and I very much hope that with work by our state MP this remains the case.

Catherine King is federal Ballarat MP. This is an excerpt of a speech given in Parliament yesterday.