Opinion

Australians are familiar with natural disasters like heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, floods, severe storms, and tropical cyclones. According to the Climate Council, 84 per cent of Australians have been directly affected by at least one climate-fuelled disaster since 2019(1).

The industrial machinery and heavy equipment manufacturing sector is critical not only for its direct outputs, machines, and equipment that pave the way for construction, agriculture and manufacturing but also for its crucial role in economic development and innovation. 

In the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has surged forward like a digital renaissance, echoing the rapid and transformative rise of the Internet in the late 1990s. It has revolutionised industries and redefined our daily lives with extraordinary speed – and its impact is set to grow even more substantially in the coming years.

In the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has surged forward like a digital renaissance, echoing the rapid and transformative rise of the Internet in the late 1990s.

The Australian manufacturing sector is in a state of emergency. Insolvencies have tripled in two years since 2022, and the industry is battling a perfect storm of labor shortages, supply chain disruption, and skyrocketing inflation. 

The Australian Industrial Manufacturing, Fabricated Metals and Engineering sectors make a significant contribution to our economy, playing a vital role in industrial development, aiding economic growth and employment.

 Mining is often seen as a traditional, slow-moving sector, but right now it is undergoing a high-tech revolution. Innovation is not just a matter of staying technologically ahead; it is crucial for ensuring the safety of workers and enhancing operational efficiency.

As the impacts of climate change intensify globally and emission reduction deadlines loom, Australia must prioritise its power supply.

The Future Made in Australia program was a centrepiece of the Albanese government's Federal Budget this year. One of the program's main aims is to position Australia as a global leader in manufacturing in modern industries such as renewable energy, critical minerals processing, and quantum computing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 15 per cent of the world’s population, or over one billion people, live with some form of disability. In Australia, 18 per cent or 4.4 million people have a disability and 90 per cent of those have an invisible disability, according to a recent report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.