From the Ministry

Advanced manufacturing looks to the stars

In the short time that I have been Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, I have been extremely impressed by the quality and scope of the manufacturing projects the Government is supporting.

These range from the many smaller projects that don’t get much publicity to others that gain international attention, such as our contribution to building the world’s largest and most capable radio telescopes – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). I was pleased that one of my first official duties as Industry Minister was to join the Prime Minister in my home town of Perth in April for the announcement that the Government would invest a further $387m in the SKA over 10 years. This includes $64m to establish a specialist super-computing centre to be based in Perth that will process the unprecedented amounts of data that will be generated by the SKA. The SKA will consist of two world-class telescopes – an array of almost 200 mid-frequency dish antennas to be built in South Africa, and more than 131,000 low-frequency antennas in Australia. The low-frequency telescope will be built in the Murchison region of Western Australia, creating more than 350 jobs during the 10-year construction phase and a further 230 ongoing positions over the life of the project. Work will begin early next year. The telescopes will have the capacity to look back to the dawn of the universe, to learn how the first stars and galaxies formed, to explore the origins and structure of the universe, and even search for extra-terrestrial life. As the Prime Minister said, the $387m investment highlights that science and advanced manufacturing are at the heart of the Government’s National Economic Recovery Plan from the COVID-19 recession. Our investment in the SKA will not only help astronomers learn more about our universe but contribute to building Australia’s local industry capability, which includes high-value areas such as data analytics and advanced manufacturing. Already several Australian companies have developed and manufactured components for the telescope prototypes and precursor telescopes. This new investment will build on the Government’s $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing Strategy and be a significant boost to the space sector, along with the other five National Manufacturing Priorities. Space featured in another of my early engagements as Industry Minister, when I supported the launch of the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide, which was opened by the Prime Minister and Premier of South Australia at the end of March. There is also a state-of-the-art Mission Control Centre on site, which will make it easier for local start-ups to control satellites and space missions. As I said, to mark that event, the facilities are an investment in Australia’s future, including future jobs in space and other industries. There are thousands of opportunities being created in the rapidly-growing space sector, including in manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology (IT). Innovation in the space sector also supports advancement in other essential industries, including agriculture and transport. I am looking forward to working closely with the Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo and stakeholders in the sector to advance Australia’s space industry and drive toward our goal of tripling the size of the sector and creating another 20,000 jobs by 2030. As Industry Minister I will continue to carefully implement our Modern Manufacturing Strategy, building on the very strong work done by my predecessor Minister Karen Andrews. I was on hand at the opening of funding and the delivery of 10year investment roadmaps for the last two of our six National Manufacturing Priorities under the Strategy: Recycling and Clean Energy in April; and Defence in late March. Supported projects will be funded under the $1.3bn Modern Manufacturing Initiative component of the Strategy. This funding will help manufacturers to scale up production, commercialise their products and operations, and integrate into domestic and global supply chains. Turning our waste into valuable products and expanding our clean energy options are priorities for the Government. The funding for the Recycling and Clean Energy sector is targeted at businesses which are manufacturing in these areas and will leverage the billions of dollars in other investments being made across government into recycling and clean energy projects. The opening of funding for projects in the Defence sector and release of the National Manufacturing Defence roadmap were wrapped into a wider announcement by the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence and the Minister for Defence Industry, of great importance to Australian manufacturing. The Government will accelerate the creation of a $1bn Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise, boosting skilled jobs and helping secure Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities, which will drive innovation, skills and resilient supply chains. The Enterprise will support missile and guided weapons manufacturing in Australia for use across the Australian Defence Force. It will be operated by a strategic industry partner working with the Department of Defence and will provide a suite of precision weapons that will meet our nation’s needs and provide export opportunities. This will help us leverage Defence investment to grow a high-tech manufacturing ecosystem in Australia and support the Defence component of the Modern Manufacturing Strategy. Apart from Defence, Space, and Recycling and Clean Energy, the other three National Priority Sectors are: Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing, Food and Beverage, and Medical Products. Funding has been opened in all six sectors and in each case is being underpinned by a road map developed in close collaboration with industry. For more information on the road maps and available grant funding, visit www.industry.gov.au/ manufacturing. As I said when appointed Minister, I want to ensure we have a strong, vibrant manufacturing sector that is growing and creating more jobs, and I want to work with Australian industry stakeholders to make that happen. The opportunities created by Australia’s strong focus on the science and technology sectors will be crucial to making sure that we are building the industries of the future with the long-term sustainable employment these sectors can provide.