Registrations have officially opened for the 2025 National Manufacturing Summit, with the event set to be held on 24 July at the Shangri-La Sydney and a welcome dinner scheduled for 23 July.
Themed Manufacturing Australia’s Future: Local Strength, Global Impact, the Summit aims to address key challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s manufacturing sector.
Organised by Weld Australia, the event will focus on practical, industry-led solutions to revitalise manufacturing and will bring together government leaders, educators, industry stakeholders, and workforce representatives.
According to Weld Australia, the Summit comes at a pivotal time, with the sector’s share of GDP having dropped from 28 per cent to just 5.9 per cent over the years.
Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden said the event represents a critical opportunity to push for meaningful reform. “The decline in Australian manufacturing is not inevitable – it’s a policy choice.
With the right frameworks in place, our industry can not only recover but lead,” he said in a media release.
Crittenden underscored the need for enforceable local content requirements in public and private projects.
“The time for token gestures is over. We need enforceable, specific local content policy—not empty targets – to ensure Australian materials and expertise are prioritised in the build-out of our future industries,” he said.
The Summit will explore ways to strengthen Australia’s manufacturing capability across five key national priorities: renewable energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, defence, and workforce development.
Program highlights include addressing domestic production of wind and transmission towers, advancing local processing of critical minerals, and developing sovereign capability in defence manufacturing. Workforce skills, particularly in welding and engineering, will also feature prominently.
Speakers confirmed for the 2025 event include New South Wales Minister Anoulack Chanthivong, Federal Minister Tim Ayres, Australia Institute Executive Director Richard Denniss, Net Zero Economy Authority CEO David Shankey, AMP Control CEO Rod Henderson, and Weld Australia’s own Geoff Crittenden, among others. The Summit will be hosted by ABC journalist Ellen Fanning.
Weld Australia emphasised that the Summit serves as a platform for shaping the future of the manufacturing sector. For more information and to register, visit manufacturingsummit.com.au.
