Government News

In today's increasingly globalised world, the strength and resilience of a nation depends on its ability to nurture and grow strategic industries. As demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, countries that can rely on domestic manufacturing capabilities are better positioned to withstand external shocks and rely on a resilient supply chain. For Australia, investing in advanced manufacturing, and the new technologies that bolster the sector is essential not only for economic growth but also for fostering sovereign resilience. At ANCA we define technological progress, or what some call innovation, as achieving more output with less input. More productivity in manufacturing means our customers have more output with fewer dollars invested, more output with less human workforce required, and less energy consumed. And that means Australia can have a competitive manufacturing sector for the domestic and export market. Checklist of action ANCA is calling on governments - at all levels, and of all persuasions - to move their focus to crafting consistent policies to ensure manufacturing capability stays onshore and local businesses can thrive. The…

Deakin University’s expanded $20m ManuFutures hub in Geelong has been officially opened by Victoria’s Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty Ben Carroll. The hub has doubled in size and will boost regional manufacturing capabilities through the addition of new manufacturing incubator programs, training, and product engineering services, providing opportunities for an increased number of innovation-focused tenants and start-ups. Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said that the completion of ManuFutures laid strong foundations for building sovereign manufacturing capability in Victoria. “First established in 2018, ManuFutures showcases Deakin’s commitment to building Australia’s advanced manufacturing capabilities and creating a skilled local manufacturing workforce for the future,” Professor Martin said. Deakin Research Innovations Regional Manufacturing Director Mark Curnow said the completion of the ManuFutures expansion put Deakin at the forefront of manufacturing innovation for entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing businesses. “Our new ManuFutures building includes collaborative working spaces and further rental tenancy bays for manufacturing businesses. It also has an Innoveering Centre that boasts product engineering and development capability, as well as opportunities for research collaboration and integration. “Four manufacturing businesses have already moved into the new spaces as tenants, with room for…

Some of the most common challenges faced in the Australian manufacturing sector are a lack of real-time visibility into operations, bottlenecks in production, inefficient maintenance procedures, and high operation costs. The cost of information flow remains too high which negatively impacts the competitive edge, yet most manufacturers often struggle with justifying the ROI of having a cohesive Digital Transformation strategy. The piecemeal approach to Industry 4.0 may result in an organisation focusing on non-urgent projects, investing in gear that further adds to the cost of information flow due to the missing alignment and a common strategy. Why is it important to have a Digital Transformation strategy, that is much more than a siloed Industry 4.0 project? Much has been written and discussed about Digital Transformation. The term has been dissected and interpreted in many ways. This ubiquitous term is more than a mere adoption of digital tools and technologies; it signifies a revolution that recalibrates business operations and heightens customer value. The digital revolution moves beyond the shop floor, permeating all business aspects, including supply chain management and customer service.…

Please join the Moreton Bay Regional Council and our invited guests for an opportunity to connect, share stories and intel, build your business networks, and learn about the array of business resources and support services being offered across the Moreton Bay region. For this upcoming event, we are delighted to welcome special guest the Hon. Glenn Butcher, Queensland Minister of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water to meet with our manufacturers. Learn about: What's happening across the manufacturing sector for the Moreton Bay region and beyond; Various business development workshops and training courses; Upcoming networking events to leverage your business opportunities and connections; The team at Elexon Electronics will be hosting interactive tours of their Advanced Manufacturing facility and showcasing their ability to design, develop, and manufacture a diverse range of world-class electronic products for local and export markets. Moreton Bay Regional Council is committed to supporting the growth and development of local businesses and growing our region’s economy by delivering on the Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS). This event aims to connect you with other individuals in the region in order to strengthen our…

Tonsley Innovation District has surged into its second decade of operation, continuing its laser-focused commitment to driving innovation and energising South Australia’s economy. This industry district is located 12km south of Adelaide and has made dramatic strides since opening in 2012. From its initial remit to re-ignite a stalling manufacturing sector in Adelaide’s southern suburbs following the closure of the Mitsubishi plant in 2008, to now solving some of the world’s most complex problems through creative innovation. As a hub for cutting-edge research and development, Tonsley has driven Adelaide’s transition from traditional to high-value manufacturing and with it, built out the state’s sovereign capability. Around 2,000 people across 140 companies are now employed at Tonsley – more than double that when Mitsubishi closed. 8,500 students study alongside this highly skilled and specialised workforce each year at anchor academic institution Flinders University, and TAFE SA. And more than 500 residents call Tonsley home as part of its growing community. These statistics reflect the substantial increase in scale, productivity, output, and economic impact of Tonsley in its first ten years. What was once a 61-hectare industrial wasteland has…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that Australia will export 100 Boxer armoured fighting vehicles to Germany, according to reports. The value to the economy is more than $1bn, making it one of the largest defence export deals in history. The vehicles, to be manufactured by Rheinmetall Defence Australia at its Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, are eight-by-eight-wheeled, all-terrain, Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV). The Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy and his German counterpart, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence Thomas Hitschler signed a Letter of Cooperation in March this year and began formal negotiations to manufacture and export the vehicles. Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2025. The sale was confirmed as Albanese landed in Europe enroute to the NATO summit as reported by AP. “This will increase our defence capability and boost our economy, this is a great outcome,” Albanese is quoted when asked during a brief doorstop. “And it’s the first outcome of quite a few that we have ready to announce tomorrow with our friends here in Germany.” The “schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie” (sWaTrInf, for…

Hosted by Weld Australia in collaboration with the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, the theme of the National Manufacturing Summit is 'Manufacturing the Energy Revolution: Industrial Opportunities from Renewable Energy'. International expert, Adam Hersh, will address the opportunities and challenges presented by Australia’s renewable energy revolution at the National Manufacturing Summit in Canberra on 2 and 3 August. Adam Hersh is a Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC, one of Washington’s most influential think tanks. Adam’s work focuses on international trade, industrial, climate, China, and macroeconomic policies. He is currently leading a major research project on the industrial opportunities associated with new green energy policies. Adam will be the keynote speaker at the Summit dinner on 2 August, and a panelist at the Summit on 3 August. With an impressive line-up of international and Australian experts, just some of the other confirmed speakers include: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, The Australian Institute & Centre for Future Work Michele O’Neil, President, Australian Council of Trade Unions Emily Scivetti, Chief Operating Officer, Oceanex Ben Oquist, Climate…

Vaxxas, a clinical-stage biotechnology company commercialising a needle-free vaccine patch platform, in partnership with the Queensland Government, today announced the opening of its global headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Brisbane. The custom-built 5,500m² Vaxxas Biomedical Facility is a first-of-its-kind manufacturing site designed to support the scale-up of Vaxxas’ needle-free vaccine technology platform, the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP), for late-stage clinical trials and first commercial products. The Vaxxas Biomedical Facility is expected to support up to 200 local, skilled jobs and produce millions of vaccine patches per year once fully operational, contributing to Queensland’s local economy. The Queensland Government provided funding and operational support to Vaxxas in developing the site. Additional funding has been provided by the Australian Federal Government through its Modern Manufacturing Initiative to support the installation of specialised manufacturing infrastructure. Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympic and Paralympic Games Infrastructure, The Honourable Dr Steven Miles officiated the opening. “Queensland is fast shaping up as a global research and innovation hub thanks to the Palaszczuk Government’s investment in…

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is boosting Australia’s advanced manufacturing capability by providing free research and development (R&D) support to businesses to help them develop new products or services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on new advanced manufacturing solutions can sign up for the free, 10-week online Innovate to Grow program, to support their idea by building their R&D knowledge. Upon completion of the program, eligible participants may have the opportunity to access facilitation support, through CSIRO, to connect to research expertise nationally, along with dollar-matched R&D funding. CSIRO’s Director of Manufacturing, Dr Marcus Zipper, explained how CSIRO’s unique position in the research ecosystem drives innovation to advance Australian manufacturing. “Manufacturing is a vitally important sector, employing over 800,000 people across Australia,” Dr Zipper said. “At CSIRO, we work collaboratively with SMEs on research and development to find new and improved technologies and processes that enable great ideas to see success locally and internationally. “We translate research into products and processes that businesses want to adopt because what we’ve created is economically viable, more efficient and effective, and sustainable,” he said. Connop Metal…

The Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund aims to build the capacity, capability, and resilience of Victoria’s resource recovery sector, support businesses to respond to the national regulation of waste exports, increase the quality of materials for manufacturing and create jobs in the circular economy. Projects should be focused on the purchase, installation, and commission of new equipment or technology or upgrade of existing facilities to increase domestic reprocessing capacity and/or improve the quality of material and/or increase the use of recycled content in manufacturing. What are the eligibility criteria? Applicants must be Australian businesses that have been operating for a minimum of two years. Projects must be located in Victoria and source 50% or more of the project materials from Victorian sources. What funding is available? Successful projects could receive a grant between $50,000 and $1m on a $1: $2 (Sustainability Vic: Applicant) basis. What activities are eligible for funding? Eligible projects should: — Improve the recovery and local reprocessing of priority materials. This round includes mixed paper and cardboard, plastics wastes, tyres and glass. — Improve recycling outcomes by addressing critical infrastructure gaps in…

The Queensland Government launched the State’s first Biofutures Roadmap and Action Plan back in 2016 to help establish Queensland as a world-leading and sustainable region for the Biofutures industry. Queensland has now signed an MoU with airline giant Qantas and Airbus to unlock the state’s potential to manufacture SAF in the local area of Gladstone, as part of that Roadmap. Qantas and Airbus have committed to investing a combined $307m to develop a local SAF industry and have lobbied the federal government to do more to create the necessary policy framework and incentives needed to properly boost investment. The Queensland biofuel refinery will be the first project funded under the joint partnership.  It is not lost on the QLD or Federal Government that Australia needs to substitute ethanol in fuel and offer significant tax breaks to renewable fuels if it wants to reach its international climate targets. Queensland has attracted Oceania Biofuels to Gladstone to establish Australia’s first commercial sustainable aviation fuel biorefinery. The $500m facility, is a significant step in growing the emerging biofutures industry and,…

Harrison SPARC will receive $1.9m from the Federal Government to value-add to Australia’s critical mineral capabilities. Harrison SPARC is the R&D arm of The Harrison Group, an Australian manufacturing stalwart that helps turn the wheels of the automotive, agricultural, manufacturing, logistics and mining industries at home and globally. The funding was announced very recently by Resources Minister Madeline King as part of the Critical Minerals Development Program. A $50m grant scheme designed to accelerate the development of Australia’s critical minerals sector, it will also support downstream value-add process as outlined in the Federal Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2022. The grant will enable Harrison SPARC (Strategic Projects and Advanced Research Centre) to expand the group’s chemical manufacturing capabilities. Harrison SPARC was started in 2021 to innovate and expand The Harrison Group’s capabilities and offering in the critical infrastructure industries. Sydney-based sister company, Harrison Manufacturing produces high-performance grease, lubricants, oils and imports specialty chemical additives, supplying approximately 50% of domestic market usage. It also exports its know-how and tailor-made lubricant applications to industries such as mining across…