Let's crowd source a grass roots 'new deal manufacturing policy'

Australia’s industry structure is broken – so with your help we are going to develop a new deal manufacturing plan to help make it right.

It has taken Covid-19 to expose the limitations of our economic rationalist policies and how they have created a fragile and narrowly based economy, reliant on export of low-value commodities and the import of high-value and skill-intensive manufactures.

With manufacturers rising to the challenge of broken supply chains for essential products, it has never been clearer that our manufacturing community needs to step forward and be heard as governments take a second-look at future policy.

The creation by the Prime Minister of a National Coordination Commission, and the appointment of an industry group led by former Dow chemical CEO Andrew Liveris to advise it, presents us with an unprecedented opportunity for our voice to be heard.

The Australian Manufacturing Forum (AMF) Linkedin networking group, with 5,400 members the largest on social media, and @AuManufacturing news, supported by Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions, today launch an ambitious project to crowd-source a ‘new deal manufacturing policy’ for Australia.

UTS, Sydney Professor Roy Green, who has been prominent over decades arguing for properly resourced industry policies, kicks off our project today with the first of a series of viewpoint articles from thought leaders to run through April in @AuManufacturing.

Published here in @AuManufacturing, Green reveals just where Australia got it so wrong, and outlines five building blocks for a new deal manufacturing policy.

@AuManufacturing supports such calls but we also want to know what manufacturers think a new deal policy should look like?

We call on all friends of manufacturing to join in the conversation by contacting us with submissions, posting and commenting in the AMF, and sharing news of our project with colleagues.

AMF member and senior operations and supply chain expert Jon Hayward-Wright is bringing together a small team to collate the wisdom of the crowd and distil it into a new deal policy document.

With 40 years of manufacturing operations experience here and across all continents, Jon has led operations across foodstuffs, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and engineering, and will ensure a manufacturer-first focus.

Contact Jon to join his work via [email protected]. Submissions should be made to [email protected], or by posting on the AMF.

In May Jon’s group will circulate a draft document for input before a final new deal for manufacturing policy is developed and presented to the Liveris committee.

This is a genuine grass roots effort growing from input from members of the Australian Manufacturing Forum manufacturing community and inspired by dozens of calls and emails I have received in recent weeks.

But our efforts will only be as good as the input we receive – so please do contact Jon or myself, write up a submission or post one in the AMF, and comment and interact in discussions daily in the AMF.

And please do share this with other friends in manufacturing.

@AuManufacturing’s new deal plan for manufacturing is brought to you with the support of Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions