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Minister Husic’s Column
Minister for Industry and Science
Ed Husic
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The Albanese government has hit the ground running in its support for regional industry and started the longer-term work investing in advanced manufacturing.
We were elected with a mandate to rebuild Australian industry and we are focused on delivering on our election commitments.
I was pleased that the October budget included $111.4 million in support for regional manufacturing from Hobart and Adelaide to Ipswich and the NSW Central Coast.
The budget also provides $50 million over two years to establish the framework for our billion National Reconstruction Fund. This fund will include $1 billion in dedicated support for advanced manufacturing.
This is the first in a series of investments to roll out the National Reconstruction Fund, a co-investment vehicle that will revitalise industry, provide well-paid secure jobs and deliver for regional Australia.
The budget was delivered at a time of increased economic turbulence after a decade of missed opportunity. It is right for the times and prepares us for the future.
As well as measures for regional manufacturing, the budget is delivering 180,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational education places for 2023 – an essential step for our ambitious manufacturing plans.
The budget provided $10.1 million for the Factory of the Future project at Flinders University. This inspiring facility brings together innovation, industry 4.0 tech, research and training.
Regional manufacturing measures for Tasmania in the budget included $50 million for the Nyrstar Hobart zinc smelter; $11.1 million to support upgrades to Ingham’s poultry facility in Sorell; $6.1 million to upgrade Launceston’s Waverley Wool Mill.
The grant to Nyrstar will support a $400 million modernisation of the plant and is a good example of how the
Government is backing the value-adding of Australian resources.
About 90% of Nyrstar’s raw material zinc for processing comes from Australian sources.
Zinc is an essential input for critical supply chains, including renewable energy infrastructure, construction materials and anti-corrosion coatings on steel.
The company says the upgrade will help secure the long-term sustainability of 650 jobs in Hobart and a further 1000 jobs at the linked Nyrstar operations in Port Pirie, South Australia.
The budget also allocated $17.2 million to establish a pilot Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub on the Central Coast of New South Wales and $12.6 million to support Cytiva’s Springfield BioPark project in Ipswich, Queensland.
The support for manufacturing network Central Coast Industry Connect will create jobs in construction and food product manufacturing, and spur local economic growth.
This food processing and manufacturing project at Lisarow is of strategic importance to further developing our onshore manufacturing capabilities.
The support for Cytiva will help it
buy new equipment so it can expand its biomanufacturing capabilities for high-value medicines.
These projects align well with the Albanese Labor government’s industrial priorities.
The budget also included $14.2 million to deliver on our election commitment to implement a National Rail Manufacturing Plan.
The plan will have oversight from the Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing, Senator Tim Ayres. It will support the rail industry and skilled manufacturing jobs by ensuring more trains are built in Australia.
This includes establishing the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination to deliver a National Rail Procurement and Manufacturing Strategy, in consultation with state and territory governments and rail industry stakeholders.
Brick by brick we are laying the foundations for an industrial revival that will allow Australia to take its place among advanced manufacturing nations.
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