SPECIAL REPORT – AUSTRALIAN MADE
Australian Made to drive sector resilience IN THE FACE OF SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS, WASTE MANAGEMENT REVIEW EXPLORES HOW ONSHORE PROCESSING AND LOCAL MANUFACTURING WILL PLAY AN INCREASING ROLE IN BUILDING A RESILIENT WASTE SECTOR.
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his isn’t about being insular or shutting ourselves off to the rest of the world. This is about embracing the incredible quality of Australian-made products – products that nations around the world associate with being top-notch,” Karen Andrews, Federal Industry Minister says. During the COVID-19 pandemic businesses around the globe faced massive disruption to their supply chains. For companies dependent on products coming in from overseas, the halt of imports and exports sent a domino of delays through various industries across the nation. Now, Australian businesses understand the complexities of the Island’s oceanic location more than ever. The need to diversify supply chains is shaking up Australia’s manufacturing sector as more companies explore onshore processing and leveraging the benefits of local manufacturing. On June 1 this year, a multi-media campaign was launched by Australian Made Campaign Limited to promote local manufacturers and brands to capitalise on a renewed interest in their products. So, where does the waste management sector sit in Australia’s
Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews says the sector should prioritise value over cost.
manufacturing capacity? According to Andrews, Australia has historic strengths in mining and resources, which has boosted development in a number of other industries. In her address to the National Press Club on May 20, Andrews said that includes plastic and waste recycling. She is encouraging sector decision makers to have comparative and competitive strengths. “The focus is to grow the Australian manufacturing sector, and by doing that, they will need to focus
on the value concept rather than the cost focus themselves,” she says. One of the big trends in Australian manufacturing over the last decade has been the sheer difficulty of competing with China on cost. However, when China and other neighbouring Asian nations stopped the import of contaminated recycling, industry and governments across the world had to look within their borders to find solutions for ever growing waste management needs. Federal and state governments have offered incentives to encourage
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