The Morrison Government is launching a new era of Australian manufacturing, as part of our JobMaker Plan to rebuild the economy, create jobs in Bonner and recover from the COVID-19 recession.

The $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy will make Australian manufacturers more competitive, resilient and able to scale-up to take on the world, while ensuring our nation is more secure.

“Our Modern Manufacturing Strategy is exciting news for the 513 local manufacturing businesses and the 4651 locals they employ,” Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said.

“Importantly, it will create new jobs in Bonner both now and into the future.”

Mr Vasta said the Government was charting a course to ensure manufacturers right across the country could seize the opportunities to grow into new and emerging local and global markets.

“Manufacturers are central to our economic recovery and they have capabilities that underpin so many other industries and support businesses in my electorate right along the supply chain,” Mr Vasta said.

“As a Government, we’re determined to play to our strengths and ensure we are strategically investing in areas where we have an edge.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said this strategy draws on what we have learned during the COVID-19 crisis but has also been developed following extensive work with industry before the pandemic.

“Our manufacturers have risen to the challenge to deliver during COVID-19 and now, we’re unlocking their potential to deliver for our future,” Minister Andrews said.

“By playing to our strengths, strategically investing and boosting the role of science and technology in industry, we can open up new markets and take more of our quality products to the world.

“This Strategy sends a clear signal that not only is Australia open for business, but we mean business.”

The centrepiece of the Strategy is the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), which will see the Government strategically invest in projects that help manufacturers to scale up and create jobs.

The MMI will support projects within six National Manufacturing Priorities;

• Resources technology and critical minerals processing
• Food and beverage
• Medical products
• Recycling and clean energy
• Defence
• Space

Industry will be engaged to help develop tailored road maps for each of the priority sectors.

The Strategy will also address the competitiveness of individual manufacturers in our priority sectors, with a $52.8 million expansion of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund.

“At the last election we announced the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund, which has delivered support for 200 projects across the nation, including Crystalaid at Tingalpa, and I’m very pleased we are now expanding it to help more local businesses boost their production,” Mr Vasta said.

“There’s been a real groundswell of support for Australian-made recently because we all know buying Australian made supports local jobs.

“Our plan to scale up will mean more Australian made products on the shelves and more jobs in our local community.”

The COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted supply chain issues and opportunities. A $107.2 million Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will support projects that address an identified supply chain vulnerability.

Innovation and Science Australia will be repurposed as Industry Innovation and Science Australia, to provide strong industry advice to Government throughout the implementation of the Strategy.

This strategy builds on the work across Government to improve economic conditions for business, including streamlining regulation, cutting red tape and cutting input costs. A key part of that will be cutting energy costs as outlined in the Gas-fired recovery statement on 15 September 2020.

As part of its $800 million JobMaker Digital Business Plan, the Morrison Government is encouraging and supporting more Australian small businesses to digitise, so they can compete, succeed and create job opportunities as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.

This includes an expansion of the Australian Small Business Advisory Service (ASBAS) Digital Solutions program.

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said since its inception in 2018, the ASBAS Digital Solutions program has supported small businesses through low-cost, independent, expert and tailored advice to small businesses.

“The expansion of this service means a further 10,000 Australian businesses will be able to these services, enabling them to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the digital economy now and in the future,” Minister Cash said.

Businesses will be able to receive information and advice on:

• Websites and selling online.
• Social media and digital marketing.
• Using small business software.
• Online security and data privacy.
• Business crisis management and business continuity planning.
• Finance management and boosting cash flow.
• Staff management and creating a safe work environment.
• Retaining and staying connected to customers.
• Resilience and wellbeing.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said many businesses moved online quickly when the pandemic hit, undergoing a decade of change in months, finding new customers or new ways of doing things.

“Our JobMaker Digital Business Plan provides significant backing to continue that digital push and expand opportunities for businesses to grow and create more jobs,” Mr Vasta said.

The Australian Small Business Advisory Service – Digital Solutions program is available to small businesses with fewer than 20 full-time (or equivalent) employees, as well as sole traders.

The service is available across all metropolitan and regional areas.

Further information on accessing the program is available at business.gov.au or 13 28 46.

Australians will now benefit from a new one-stop-shop career information website with the launch of the ‘Your Career’ website.

The first release of the ‘Your Career’ website designed by the National Careers Institute will help people of all ages plan, navigate and manage their careers.

The website will serve as Australia’s authoritative source of careers information as part of the Australian Government’s priority to get people back in to work.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said as the nation deals with COVID-19 and the impact on the economy, it was important Australians had access to reliable and accurate labour market data, and information on the skilling or re-training options available to them.

“This website provides access to information about how to transfer their skills to jobs in demand, upskill, retrain or start a plan for longer-term goals,” Mr Vasta said.

“The ‘Your Career’ website delivers on that need because it is driven by world-leading labour market intelligence from the National Skills Commission.

“Australians can use this site to explore their future career options, or to look for options they can pursue now – either local employment opportunities, or short-term study options.”

Given the changing nature of the labour market, ‘Your Career’ will continue to evolve to enable all Australians to take the next step in their career using tailored careers information.

Key features of Your Career include:

• career quizzes to explore jobs that match a person’s skills, interests and goals
• information about study or training options to gain new skills, upskill, or reskill
• information to help with a successful job search including resumé writing
• links to support services to help find employment, manage wellbeing and understand rights at work, and
• an A to Z of occupations, including detailed career descriptions, pay and available jobs.

The ‘Your Career’ website can be found at www.YourCareer.gov.au

For more information about the National Careers Institute, visit www.nci.dese.gov.au

The Morrison Government will invest an additional $1.2 billion to support Australian businesses to employ 100,000 new apprentices and trainees as part of our COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

Starting 5 October 2020, businesses who take on a new Australian apprentice will be eligible for a 50 per cent wage subsidy, regardless of geographic location, occupation, industry or business size.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said apprenticeships and traineeships were an important pathway to get young people into jobs and to ensure there is a skills pipeline to meet the future needs of employers.

“During this pandemic the Federal Government has been focused on supporting and creating jobs as well as identifying the skills we need in the economic rebuild,” the Prime Minister said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said whether it be manufacturing, housing and construction, arts or mining sectors – this new wage subsidy gave businesses certainty to hire and provides a career path to young school leavers or others looking for an apprenticeship or traineeship.

“This new wage subsidy will provide school leavers and job seekers in Bonner with a real opportunity to upskill and reskill through an apprenticeship or a traineeship,” Mr Vasta said.

The subsidy will be available to employers of any size or industry, Australia-wide who engage an Australian apprentice or trainee from 5 October 2020 until the 100,000 cap is reached.

Under the new measure, employers will be eligible for the wage subsidy for a new or recommencing apprentice or trainee for the period up to 30 September 2021, up to $7,000 per quarter.

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the measure builds on the existing $2.8 billion Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy that is helping employers to retain their apprentices and trainees.

“The Australian Government has already invested significantly to ensure that apprentices are retained where possible and supported to re-engage if they lose their job,” Minister Cash said.

Assistant Minister for Vocational Education, Training and Apprenticeships, the Hon Steve Irons MP, said the new measures we are announcing today will build on the already significant investment to support apprentices and trainees.

“Through the existing Supporting Apprentices and Trainees measure, as many as 90,000 businesses employing around 180,000 apprentices throughout Australia will continue to be supported,” Assistant Minister Irons said.

More information on the measure is available at www.employment.gov.au/boosting-apprenticeship-commencement