The first National Manufacturing Summit was held at Australian Parliament House, Canberra, in June 2017, organised by the Centre for Future Work and the Australia Institute. The event was attended by over 100 delegates from the full range of stakeholders concerned with the future of Australia’s manufacturing sector: including businesses, industry peak bodies, trade unions, government departments, academic institutions and vocational training providers, and other civic organisations.

This report, prepared by Dr. Tom Barnes from Australian Catholic University, summarises the key findings of the day, including areas of strong consensus among the stakeholders represented, as well as priorities for further policy research.

We release the report as we proceed with planning for the Second National Manufacturing Summit, which will also be held at Parliament House on Tuesday, 26 June 2018.  This year’s Summit is hosted by the Welding Technology Institute of Australia, and co-sponsored by the Centre for Future Work and several other organisations.  It will focus on two key issues that could constrain the industry’s recent encouraging recovery: secure supply of affordable, sustainable energy, and badly-needed improvements to vocational training and apprenticeships in manufacturing.