With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic having significant implications across Australian society – including for individuals and businesses in the manufacturing sector – here is a round-up of this week’s key developments for Australian manufacturing.

  • The Federal Government has launched a new voluntary coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe, that will speed up the process of identifying people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus. For more information on the app, visit: health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app
  • The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), peak industry body for innovation technology (IT), backed the app after receiving a detailed briefing from Government. AIIA CEO Ron Gauci said: “Based on this detailed briefing, and understanding that the app does not track your geo-location and that personal data and cyber security concerns have been designed into the app and through government regulations, the AIIA therefore supports the government tracing app and strongly recommends that all Australians download it.”
  • As Australian manufacturers look for ways to assist with COVID-19 equipment and supply needs, many are facing the regulatory challenges of working in the medical sector for the first time. The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has published a set of FAQs for Australian manufacturers on how to comply with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). amgc.org.au/news/common-questions-or-information-that-australian-manufacturers-need-to-know-about-tga-approved-goods
  • A Perth clinical research company has been selected to undertake a trial of one of the first vaccines in the world to demonstrate safety and immune response against COVID-19. Linear Clinical Research announced on Tuesday (28 May) that it will conduct a human trial of a ground-breaking vaccine candidate which is being developed to help the body produce antibodies to fight the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease.

AMTIL is regularly updating its dedicated Coronavirus page on the AMTIL website, with an extensive listing of the most reliable, authoritative sources of information, advice and support for manufacturers. Access it here: www.amtil.com.au/coronavirus

In addition, several of AMTIL’s Corporate Partners have created dedicated resource pages offering information and advice on various aspects of the crisis:

We are also posting frequent updates on our AMT News pages, as well as to our social media feeds (see the links at the bottom of our website).

The COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve rapidly with new information emerging all the time. AMTIL strongly advises all our members and the wider manufacturing community to monitor events closely, and take the appropriate measures to stay safe.