May 14, 2020
Australia has a long, proud history of manufacturing throughout the 20th Century. With the federation of Australia in 1901, customs barriers were eliminated between the states, so they could more easily trade with another. This saw the first wave of manufacturing expansion, particularly in Victoria and NSW. By 1913, manufacturing employment totalled at 328,000 and accounted for 13% of GDP. During World War One, the Government quickly realised that our economy was too reliant on imports; it was near impossible to source many products in wartime. As a result, Australia started to manufacture a range of products on-shore, from aspirin right through to chlorine. Our steel industry also experienced enormous growth. BHP opened a new steelworks in Newcastle in 1915, which generated huge profits due to unprecedented demand for steel to build ships, ammunition and artillery. Australia quickly matured from a rural economy into a substantial manufacturing power. The…