Industry Minister Tim Ayres has outlined plans to reindustrialise Australia around three focus areas – taking a northern neighbours’ lead to compel universities to work with unions and employers in a renewed focus on the national interest.
He also backed Robyn Denholm and colleagues’ R&D plan in a speech this week without providing detail on what happens next – instead focusing on Labors’ determination to resuscitate the national industrial landscape.
“The Albanese Government is determined to build faith and confidence in our politics by building a better industrial future, a Future Made in Australia. And that better future will be built with fitters and boilermakers in Newcastle, scientists in Perth, steelworkers in Whyalla, and engineers in Gladstone. Navigating the challenges of the near term together,” Senator Ayres said.
There were clues as to how this will happen.
The Minister said, “he looked to Singapore,” where R&D is “ organised around national missions rather than silos.”
“State capacity is treated as a strategic asset: long-term planning, special investment vehicles, deep coordination across ministries, and decisive interventions where markets alone won’t deliver strategic outcomes.
“That’s how I see my job – to marshal the Government, states, industry, researchers, scientists and unions behind that national effort.”
And he set out three missions that he would marshal.
Focus
On “mission led research tied to national priorities – the problems Australia actually needs to solve … getting the most out of our investment by joining up our science and research capability with industry, to drive real impact.”
Senator Ayres added foundation research would not be ignored. “But a joined-up system means more great discoveries can happen and lift national capability along the way.”
Statecraft
“We will not lift productivity or get real scale and impact from our research and development investment unless we renew how priorities are set and how effort is coordinated.” The minister he was already on this, “bringing together agencies and investment vehicles … around our Future Made in Australia objectives.”
“If we are serious about economic statecraft, government has to be equipped to do more than fund and hope,” he said
Scale
“Universities are essential institutions and the people in them workers driving the national effort – pushing breakthroughs …” and he signalled out the Group of Eight for committing to contribute to Australia’s fee for to associate with the EU Horizon Research fund. This, he added is, “about opening a pool of global talent with trusted partners to deepen local knowledge and lift Australian capability.”