Government News

AMT: What is the IMCRC and what are its objectives? David Chuter: Well the IMCRC stands for Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre. We carry on the great legacy that these CRCs have been doing for 20-plus years in Australia. We were formed officially in 2015. After a bit of a slow start-up we have just really got ourselves running since the back-end of last year into this year. This month sees our team fully recruited; we’ve got two more project research officers joining us later this month, and our direct staff will then be our full complement. We see our role as very much helping to champion the transformation of manufacturing in Australia. And that’s a pretty broad agenda which many parties are working on. At our core, we co-fund and de-risk industry investment in research projects. We try and focus on manufacturing companies: small, medium and large. We encourage them to work with the Australian universities and CSIRO to conduct manufacturing research projects. AMT: Can you give an example or few examples of…

The Labor Government led by Premier Daniel Andrews is helping Victorian companies impacted by the closure of automotive manufacturing to transform the way they do business and open up new opportunities. The ASCTP helps auto businesses plan for the future, identify new markets and create a transition plan. APT produces customised and high-precision components for the automotive, aeronautics and defence industries, and will use its grant to develop a workforce strategy. The company is one of 12 businesses sharing in $504,000 in funding from ASCTP. Other recipients include: Ceramet (Delacombe) Mackay Consolidated Industries (Moorabbin East) Entegro Group (Brooklyn) Woodbridge Australia Group (Laverton North) Decor Engineering (Seaford) Futec (Brighton East) A Bending Company (Dandenong South) ABC Specialty Metals (Hallam) Excellent Plating Works (Moorabbin) TI Automotive Australia (Dandenong South) Diversitile (Thomastown) “As automotive manufacturing winds down, local supply chain businesses need to plan for change,” said Noonan. “These grants help…

The plan includes a $1.3bn injection of funds to modernise construction shipyards in South Australia and Western Australia in order to build the Navy's next generation of naval vessels. The Federal Government is investing around $90bn in the rolling acquisition of new submarines and the continuous build of major ships such as future frigates, as well as minor naval vessels. The Plan will ensure delivery of these modern defence capabilities set out in the 2016 Defence White Paper, creating thousands of jobs and securing the naval shipbuilding and sustainment industry for future generations of Australians. Work will commence this year on the development of infrastructure at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia. The Henderson Maritime Precinct in WA will also be upgraded. This will encompass construction of new cranes and heavy lift transportation capability, welding stations and upgrades to workshops and storage facilities including new steel framed sheds. The naval shipbuilding workforce is expected to grow to around 5,200 workers by the mid to late 2020s, with more than…

AMT: A prominent figure in South Australian politics, and a vocal advocate for manufacturing, what’s your view of the current situation for the industry in SA? Nick Xenophon: Well, we’re in a state of transition. We’re at the crossroads here in SA, but it’s not just in SA, it is in the rest of the country. We’ve seen a shrinking of manufacturing in this country in the last decade, from about 12% of GDP to just over 6% of GDP. We’re now just bumping above Botswana and Rwanda, where as a percentage of their GDP, manufacturing accounts for 6% and 5% respectively. I mention Botswana and Rwanda not because I have any axe to grind against them, but because they are countries that never had a significant manufacturing base, whereas Australia did. I think we’ve lost our way in terms of advanced manufacturing policy. The closure of the automotive industry in Australia is posing a huge risk and challenge to manufacturing. AMT: What do you see as the biggest…

Now in its seventh year, the ATC finds, mentors and develops Australia’s best technology companies with the greatest global potential. The Business Accelerator Program aims to help turn good technologies into great businesses. In 2016, from the 150 entries, 38 companies were shortlisted and provided with opportunities that included: Mentoring support with an expert business advisor assigned to each company to provide advice and connections and improve the company’s opportunities to succeed. Pitch training and presentation opportunities at Technology Showcase events in Melbourne and Sydney. Investor speed dating opportunities with Australia’s leading technology investors. Attending the ATC Trade Mission to Hong Kong and China. Profiling in industry journals and through social media. Whilst there are separate industry awards for manufacturing, energy, agri-tech, mining, oil & gas, medtech, cyber-security and smart cities, most of the shortlisted companies are manufacturing products in Australia. Many of the companies are growing and creating highly skilled local employment opportunities. This stands in contrast to much…

The stories that we often hear concerning the death of manufacturing stem from confusion between employment and production. The world produces and consumes more manufactured goods than ever, but it does so with fewer people since productivity improvement has for a long time exceeded underlying market growth, enabling increased production with fewer employees. Hence, manufacturing has declined as an employer in most countries despite output increasing. This trend will continue and even accelerate with the development and deployment of technology-enabled productivity improvement tools. This change will increase – as opposed to decrease – manufacturing’s importance to an economy, which can be summarised as: It is the biggest spender of applied research and innovation, with spill-over effects throughout the economy. It is the key driver of productivity improvement, with further economic spill-over effects. It comprises the biggest share of world trade and is critical for export earnings that pay for the cost of importing goods. As the largest driver…

AMT: Firstly, what’s the current situation for manufacturing in Tasmania and what are the big trends affecting the sector? Jeremy Rockliff: Well our economy’s very diversified – we’ve got mining, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture – and advanced manufacturing plays a key role in all of those industries, particularly aquaculture, which is expanding, agriculture and food production. But also we’ve developed a reputation with Elphinstone and Caterpillar for developing high-quality, world-class heavy machinery and mining equipment. So I guess our diversity is our strength in terms of our economy in Australia. Of course one of our disadvantages is scale, but in the last 12 months we’ve recognised the fact that advanced manufacturing is a key component of our economy and an important one, following on from a summit that we held in May 2015. The Tasmanian Advanced Manufacturing Summit was held following Caterpillar’s decision to centralise its…

Golden Diversity is made up of five girls, and as their team name suggests all are from very diverse backgrounds. They are: Yara Alkhalili, who comes from an Iraqi background; Hoai Nguyen, Vietnamese; Eleanor Arumugam, Indian; Claire Cameron, Scottish/Australian; and Hollie Johnson, English. All the girls were Year 10 students apart from Cameron, who is in Year 9. Second place went to Hyperdrive, a team of boys from Trinity Grammar School in Kew, Victoria (an all-boys school), while third place went to Instant Transmission, an all-boys team from Queechy High School. Golden Diversity will now lead Team Australia at the 2017 F1 in Schools World Finals, this year being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the end of September. The gala awards event was an amazing culmination of four days of competition. As each team of students stepped on to the stage to receive their medallions and awards as their school names were announced, it was evident that Tasmanian, South Australian and Victorian schools are still setting the pace in STEM education. A highlight of the awards…

Native Tasmanians made daring blue-water hunting trips to offshore islands in vessels made from reeds. Wooden boatbuilding began within days of European settlement in 1803. The colonists’ first vessel was a wooden skiff whose builders could not have imagined the giant, high-speed 120m catamarans that Tasmanians now export to the world. One company, Incat Tasmania, has built 40% of the world’s fleet of large-scale, fast, multi-hull ferries, including the world’s fastest passenger ferry, Francisco. Incat has held the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean for more than 25 years. Other local ship-builders find niches in the design and construction of smaller-scale vessels that take inspiration from Incat’s cutting-edge technology. As Incat’s Prince of Wales Bay shipyard expanded in Hobart’s suburbs in the 1990s, supply companies grew up around it. This group of businesses has now evolved into the Tasmanian Maritime Network, which can provide a one-stop shop for shipbuilders who want access to the latest technology and quality products and services, including training a construction workforce or fitting…

The second round of the priming grants component of the Global Connections Fund (GCF) opened on 3 February. The $4.9m GCF is part of the Global Innovation Strategy of the Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda, and supports global SME-to-researcher collaborations. The priming grants of $7,000 enable Australian SMEs and researchers to meet and collaborate with international partners to progress their ideas. “Linking Australian SMEs with international researchers, and Australian researchers with international SMEs, allows greater international industry-researcher engagement, enabling access to world-class expertise, infrastructure and the global market,” said Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Senator the Hon Arthur Sinodinos AO. The GCF comprises of two types of grants: priming grants, and bridging grants. In 2016 the Government awarded more than $1.1m in grants under the two components. Under round one of the priming grants, 74 Australian SMEs and researchers received assistance to develop products and services for Australian and international markets. Bridging grants of up to $50,000 are designed as seed funding capital to enable…

Since the late 1700s, industry and the activities integral to industry have undergone significant changes, driven broadly by the desire to increase efficiency and output value, while reducing capital invested and effort required per output. This desire has seen numerous transitions towards more innovative processes and technologies, taking place over many years. For expediency, we group these transitions into stages, or revolutions. The first industrial revolution (Industry 1.0) saw the introduction of mechanisation, replacing man (or animal) power with machinery driven by water or steam. The second revolution (Industry 2.0) leveraged the division of labour, along with the benefits of electricity, to facilitate mass production (assembly lines). Industry 3.0 harnessed electronics and technology to automate production. The key drivers and advances pertinent to each revolution were crucial for disrupting the market status quo of the day. It is important to acknowledge that each revolution was driven by the preceding one, with key advances driving each revolution forward,…

The appointment of Sinodinos was one of a number of ministerial changes announced by Turnbull as the Prime Minister reshuffled his Cabinet. Sinodinos succeeds Greg Hunt who had been at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science since July 2016. Hunt will now take over as the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport following the departure of Sussan Ley, who resigned from the frontbench in the midst of an investigation into her travel expenses and entitlements. In a statement, Turnbull said: “Senator Arthur Sinodinos will take over as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. This portfolio is critical to generating the jobs of the future and Senator Sinodinos’ extensive public policy experience gives him a strong understanding of the key drivers of new sources of economic growth. “As Cabinet Secretary, Arthur restored traditional cabinet processes. That being done, he can now turn his talents to a front line portfolio and the Cabinet Secretary function can return to the Prime Minister’s Office as has been the practice of Coalition Governments.” Sinodinos entered the Senate in…

The funding is part of the Labor Government’s Future Industries Manufacturing Program, which is supporting Victorian-based manufacturers grow and create jobs. LTA will use the money to invest in new equipment, create five new full time jobs and boost its exports by more than $4m. It builds on recent announcements, including grants to: Guala Closures in West Footscray; Southern Cross Ceramics in Mulgrave; CE Bartlett in Wendouree; Medical Developments International in Scoresby; and Fitmycar in Ravenhall. “We are helping Victorian manufacturers like Lovitt Technologies invest in new technologies to help them grow and create new jobs,” said Minister Noonan. “As car manufacturing winds down it’s important we support those businesses that will transition Victoria towards an advanced manufacturing economy.” Established in 1954 as George Lovitt Manufacturing to manufacture cutting tools for the Australian automotive industry, LTA has evolved continuously over the subsequent six decades. Quick to anticipate the decline of Australian car-making, it branched into fields as diverse as…