Qld battery industry urges govt to back derailed Future Made in Australia initiative
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The news: The Queensland-based Advanced Materials and Battery Council (AMBC) is urging the state and federal governments to reignite a proposed $200 million co-investment for a battery research and commercialisation hub after the Crisafulli government withdrew its backing last month.
The context: Ahead of the 2022 election, the Albanese government promised it would make a $100 million equity investment to set up an Australian Made Battery Precinct in partnership with the Queensland state government.
The precinct was later subsumed into the Future Made in Australia agenda through the National Battery Strategy released in 2024 and was referred to as the Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre (ABIC) under the former Queensland government’s battery industry strategy.
The former Queensland state government earmarked $100 million in the 2024-25 budget to deliver its battery strategy but this was axed under the Crisafulli government’s 2025-26 budget released in late June 2025.
In a statement to Capital Brief, a spokesperson for Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie reiterated that his department’s focus is on the “three priority industries of defence, biomedical and biofuels”.
He also said there is too much “uncertainty around the 2022 federal government commitment”. As such, the state government is not progressing the “Queensland Battery Industry Strategy or Australian Battery Industrialisation Centre at this time”.
The federal government committed $5.6 million to support delivery of the precinct in its 2024-25 budget. A business case commissioned by the Queensland government was undertaken by BDO in 2024.
A spokesperson for federal Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres declined to comment late last week because the minister was on leave.
What they said: “Queensland is currently a leader in Australia’s growing battery sector. The industry needs this ABIC to fully realise our future potential in battery manufacturing. Industry growth will be constrained without this critical infrastructure,” AMBC chief executive Quentin Hill said.
Hill also claimed that the $100 million commitment from the Albanese government “remains secure and we look forward to working with them to make this project happen”.
“Industry would also welcome the opportunity to continue working with the Queensland Government to prioritise battery development within Defence industries”.
The source: AMBC media release
