The case for making more things in Australia. Just not everything.
Net zero experts have welcomed the government's green manufacturing push but are urging it to be realistic about which industries can feasibly be brought onshore.
With scant detail expected on the Albanese government’s Future Made in Australia Act until the federal budget in May, it's difficult to identify which industries stand to benefit the most from the Inflation Reduction Act-style policy.
What we do know is that the policy is aimed at bringing together the diverse array of zero emissions economy threads that the government has established since May 2022 - the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, the Solar Sunshot program, the Capacity Investment Scheme and Net Zero Economy Agency.
Albanese cited battery manufacturing as one supply chain that could be onshored when questioned following his speech on Thursday to the Queensland Media Club, a concept that has previously divided experts.
Think Tank Beyond Zero Emissions has researched how various supply chains could benefit from onshoring manufacturing activities and found that rather than making new products, the biggest opportunity for Australia lies in decarbonising and electrifying existing businesses.
