A national manufacturing roundtable in Canberra has seen key company, government and union leaders come together to map out a future for Australian manufacturing.
The roundtable was a key step forward in the Manufacturing Alliance campaign that has been organised by Australian’s biggest manufacturing unions, the AMWU and the AWU.
The roundtable was opened by Industry Minister, Kim Carr, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Business at the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Roy Green, and attended by over 30 senior company executives from the nation’s largest manufacturing firms.
The meeting demonstrated a shift to a more co-operative, collaborative approach between workers, government and business.
“This is a meeting that would not have been possible two years ago”, said AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver.
“Today we have seen how much more can be achieved by working together in comparison to the confrontational, hostile environment encouraged by the last Liberal government.”
Participants discussed major areas of cooperation to form the basis of a new strategy for manufacturing in the years ahead.
Seven key success factors were identified to sustain a high growth strategy for Australian manufacturing:
• Building better manufacturing businesses
• Better macro-economic policy and management
• Successful global engagement
• Boosting key industries
• New generation manufacturing
• Growing productivity through collaboration
• A manufacturing industry Australia believes in
AWU National Secretary, Paul Howes, said that the forum had opened up a dialogue which would be good for workers and industry.
"We need to also focus on the industries of the future, and strategies that will build on our manufacturing base and which exploit our know-how and wealth of innovation," said Mr Howes.
The day concluded with a strong consensus that bringing business, unions and the government together would improve the sector's ability to focus on achieving productivity based on innovation, cooperation, open engagement and exports.
Key issues discussed by participants were outlined in a paper, Building a Prosperous Future, prepared by the Manufacturing Alliance.