Australia's manufacturing industry provides well paid and rewarding jobs for Australian workers and is vital to our country's long term economic security and prosperity. The AMWU is campaigning to make sure our politicians and business leaders make investments to build our manufacturing industry. 
Our manufacturing industry was crippled by the policies of the previous Howard Government, including free trade agreements that have hurt Australian manufacturing and sent Australian jobs overseas. This website explains the important role that manufacturing plays and how you can help campaign to support Australia's manufacturing future.
The Manufacturing Matters campaign commenced in late 2009 as the successor to the AMWU's "Make it Here or Jobs Disappear” campaign.
The message we’ve been taking to public rallies, political groups, and to the media is that manufacturing matters to Australia.
Manufacturing is a key driver of the Australian economy and a key employer of Australian workers.
As part of the campaign in Queensland the AMWU has created a Manufacturing Charter and collected thousands of postcards to be directed to the Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Industry and Development, Andrew Fraser.
The 2010 campaign has kicked off in Rockhampton, moving to Gladstone, Maryborough, Mackay and Townsville and culminated in a large rally of Delegates in Brisbane.
150 AMWU Delegates, led by AMWU National Secretary David Oliver, marched across the Goodwill Bridge to draw attention to the campaign.
The public event included the laying out of many hundreds of safety boots showing the effect that the loss of manufacturing jobs would have if those jobs were not filled.
In Maryborough, the focus of the campaign is on the retention of the suburban train contract by EDI/Bombardier. In Gladstone, it's on the creation of pre-assembled modules for the main LNG projects approved or in the pipeline.
The Manufacturing Matters campaign will continue until we achieve, not just public recognition of the importance of manufacturing to Australia, but also the enforcement of good policies supported State and Federal Government Agencies.