Government News

Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023) is approaching fast! Two weeks away! This huge event will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will take up more than 10,770 square metres at the MCEC, with over 340 organisations showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Over the four days, there will be presentations on the AMW Future Solutions Stage from specialists in each field. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Day Two of AMW 2023 will promote and recognise the various achievements of Women in the Manufacturing sector in Australia.   11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Geelong Manufacturing Council – What manufacturers need to excel in the 21st Century Location: Future Solutions Speaker Sessions Stage A Geelong Manufacturing Council Regional Women’s panel Leanne Nelson, Program Manager at Geelong Manufacturing Council; Elly Hanlon, General Manager at Hanlon Industries; Roya Khalil, Director of R&D at Incitec Pivot Fertilisers; and Joanne Karkham, Director of Customer Excellence at…

Australian government Minister Chris Bowen and Minister Ed Husic have welcomed the transformational announcement by GFG Alliance’s Liberty Steel into low-carbon steel making in South Australia. After a decade of policy chaos, the passage of the Government’s Safeguard Mechanism reforms provides critical industries like steelmaking with the certainty needed for major investments in decarbonisation, helping to future-proof thousands of onshore jobs and ensuring a future made in Australia Today’s announcement by Liberty Steel will deliver a new electric arc furnace and progress plans for a Direct Reduction Plant, which is expected to transition to green hydrogen produced from GFG’s own renewable energy projects. GFG estimates this investment will deliver a significant reduction in direct CO2 emissions from steelmaking in Whyalla by 2025. The Australian steel industry generates $29bn in annual revenue, employs almost 140,000 people across the country and will be absolutely critical to delivering the infrastructure Australia needs to become a renewable energy superpower. The passage of the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill last week provides further economic benefits for Australian industry to decarbonise and thrive as the world moves towards a net zero…

The Open IIoT group – a cohort of Australia’s most prominent automation brands – has been hard at work since their last showing at Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) Melbourne in 2019. Most notably they have launched the ‘Industry 4.0 and Beyond’ Podcast, featuring the group’s signature style of ‘cutting through the jargon’ as they discuss the latest trends in IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and advanced manufacturing. The podcast releases episodes monthly and features Jozef Ceh of SMC Corporation ANZ and Wade Leslie of KUKA Robot Automation as hosts. Representatives from Open IIoT member companies (Beckhoff Automation, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS, Balluff, and ZI-Argus) appear as member guests. To ensure a diverse range of perspectives and expert industry insights, the members are regularly joined by partners and industry experts from a multitude of manufacturing sectors, as they discuss new technologies and the unique challenges and benefits of Industry 4.0 implementation. Episodes to date approach a diverse range of topics, including how Industry 4.0 can help Australia get back on track to meet its recycling goals; the role of IIoT in creating ‘smart’…

The MHGP gives local manufacturers a new opportunity to get financial help for business-expanding initiatives, which will create more good jobs and better services in the region. The funding boost, which was secured in the 2022/23 Queensland Budget, meant even more manufacturers would have financial support as they modernised and transitioned to manufacturing 4.0 processes. These grants are an opportunity for manufacturers to become more productive, build advanced manufacturing capabilities and create the jobs of the future through: technology adoption skills and training business development advanced robotic manufacturing hub services. Grants between $10,000 and $500,000 are available for eligible manufacturing small to medium enterprises in the Cairns, Townsville, Central Queensland, Mackay and the Gold Coast regions. To date, the MHGP has awarded more than $13 million to co-fund 49 projects in regional areas, including for business development, technology adoption, skills and training across the five eligible regions throughout Queensland. Following a review of Rounds 1 and 2, the application process for Round 3 has been simplified to ensure as many people as…

The highly anticipated National Reconstruction Fund has passed the upper house, passng the Senate after many hours of debate, with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it “one of the biggest ever investments in Australian manufacturing.” The Greens agreed to back the legislation after they struck a deal with the government earlier this month to include amendments that explicitly rule out using the fund to invest in coal, gas and native forest logging. Independent senators David Pocock and Lidia Thorpe as well as the two senators from the Jacqui Lambie Network also agreed to back the Fund. "Australia's commitment to industrial transformation received a boost this week with the passage through Parliament of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) Bill," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group said. "The NRF is a vehicle that could help position Australia to benefit from the digitalisation, automation, artificial intelligence and the clean energy revolution that is remaking global industry. It could be used to seize emerging opportunities in areas where we have demonstrated or potential competitive advantages. "The…

At full capacity, the large-scale lithium-ion battery cell production facility in Geelong, Victoria, will generate up to 30GWh of storage capacity per year for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage markets. Construction will begin in the second half of 2023, with the goal of producing batteries equal to 2GWh annually in the second half of 2024 and 6GWh by 2026. As operations expand to full capacity, the factory will employ an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 workers directly. Recharge Industries and Accenture are now moving the project into the detailed engineering phase, which will lay the foundation for the facility’s construction. During this period, Accenture will advise on the facility layout, including utility planning and set-up of the production lines. The company will assist in procuring and shipping the required equipment, conduct final tests of all line equipment, and provide ongoing process and product engineering support to improve battery production. Production equipment for the first 2 GWh production line has already been secured with…

Registrations are now open for Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023), held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,764 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with over 330 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au The AMW Future Solutions Speaker Program rolls out through the week, a free Conference within AMW2023, covering major topics within the industry. On Tuesday, the special focus is Digital and Additive Manufacturing. Richard Elving from Markforged reveals how Australian businesses are using 3D Printing to bring manufacturing back home.  Later in the day, Cherry Chen from CSIRO speaks about the research into functional materials for space, biomedical, and hydrogen storage applications. The second day of Australian Manufacturing Week has a special focus on our crucial assets. Wednesday 10th May features Women in Manufacturing. As part of the Future Solutions Speaker…

During the launch of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) Corporation Bill in the House of Representatives in Canberra, the Minister for Industry, Science and Manufacturing Ed Husic said the Fund would help create secure, high-paying jobs for workers across the country, including in the regions, outer suburbs and remote communities. The NRF will invest $15bn across priority areas of the economy including renewables and low emissions technologies, medical science, transport, value-adding in resources, value-adding in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, defence capability and enabling technologies. “The National Reconstruction Fund is a nation-building, transformational investment to help deliver a better future,” said Minister Husic. “I look forward to working constructively across the Senate to deliver the National Reconstruction Fund for Australians.” The Assistant Trade and Manufacturing Minister Tim Ayres appeared on Sky News on later on Thursday, to explain the impact of this legislation. Speaking to host Laura Jayes, he said, “It's going to give us the capacity to deal with the industrial and energy challenges of the future. Actually, we've got…

Victorian Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty Ben Carroll has announced nominations are open for this year’s awards, which is the state’s biggest celebration of Victoria’s leading manufacturers. Established in 2001, the awards recognise individuals and companies that embrace new technologies, excel in business innovation, drive exports and boost the state’s economy. Victoria’s $31bn manufacturing industry is made up of more than 23,000 businesses, employing more than 260,000 people – providing around 30% of Australia’s manufacturing output. “The awards recognise our top manufacturers that are leading from the front – cementing our status as Australia’s manufacturing state,” said Ben Carroll, the Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty. “We’ll continue to back our manufacturers so they can create more local jobs, drive innovation and power our economy – ensuring more products are made in Victoria.” Nominations are open for 15 categories including ‘Young Manufacturer of the Year’, ‘Woman Manufacturer of the Year’ and ‘Honour Roll for Services to Industry’. Nine new awards have been introduced this year including ‘Manufacturing Apprentice’, ’Regional Manufacturer’, as well as leaders…

The Made in Victoria – Manufacturing Growth Program aims to support small and medium sized manufacturers to: — Expand their capacity and capability by implementing new manufacturing technologies. — Improve productivity and competitiveness in local and global supply chains. — Create new jobs and upskill and/or reskill workers. — Support the transition to a low carbon economy. What funding is available? Grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 are on offer on a 2:1 basis (i.e. applicants must contribute $2 for every $1 of funding from the Victorian Government). What are the eligibility criteria? To be eligible, applicants must: — Have an ABN. — Employ at least 20 FTE or have an annual turnover of greater than $1.5m. Note that preference will be given to applicants with less than 200 employees and annual turnover less than $100m. — Be able to demonstrate financial viability to undertake the project and be able to provide three years’ worth of audited financial statements. — Be currently engaged in manufacturing…

The Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) aims to support Australian SMEs to expand Australian products and services to foreign markets by providing funding for promotional activities and development of marketing skills. What are the eligibility criteria? Applicants must: — Have a turnover of less than $20 million in the prior financial year. — Be exporting or ready to export eligible goods, services, events, IP or know-how, and/or software that is of substantially Australian origin. — Be intending to incur eligible expenditure on promotional activities undertaken for the purpose of marketing eligible products overseas (excluding New Zealand). — Be able to match the grant amount awarded at least on a 1:1 basis. Important to note: The EMDG program is an eligibility-based program, which means that all eligible applicants will receive a grant from the available funding pool ($157.9 million per year). This means the grant amount an applicant receives depends on the number of eligible applications in the grant round…

BAE Systems Australia has teamed with local industry to present Australia’s first domestically designed, manufactured and armed VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) Uncrewed Air System (UAS). STRIXTM is being developed by BAE Systems Australia and Perth-based Innovaero and launched today at the 2023 Avalon Airshow in Geelong, Australia. The collaboration brings together BAE Systems’ global expertise in autonomous platforms and its vehicle management system (VMS) technology with Innovaero’s knowledge of aeronautical product design and manufacture in the Australian market. A hybrid, tandem wing, multi-domain and multi-role UAS capability, STRIX could be used for a variety of missions including an air-to-ground strike against hostile targets and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). It could also act as a ‘loyal wingman’ for military helicopters. Designed to carry up to a 160kg payload over 800km, STRIX will be capable of operating in high-risk environments. With a collapsed footprint of 2.6m x 4.5m, it could be easily transported in standard shipping. Its VTOL capability means STRIX could be used without relying on an airfield. It could also be operated from a helicopter to expand the mission set and protect…