Task Force to Map Australia’s Manufacturing Future

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux is named to a government task force that will map out a vision for the future of Australia’s manufacturing sector.

Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister Kim Carr says the aim is to strengthen local firms, including automotive, as they adapt to changes in the nation’s economy and the rise of Asia.

GM Holden Chairman Mike Devereux member of task force.

“We want to see the sector move up the value chain,” Carr says. “To do this we need to build the skills and innovation that the sector needs for a new era of manufacturing.”

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will chair the task force, with Carr as deputy chairman. It will issue a final report in mid-2012.

Devereux is one of seven senior industry executives on the task force, along with six union representatives, three leaders in science and technology and five other cabinet ministers.

Carr says the task force will help ensure manufacturing remains a key part of Australia’s economy for generations to come.

“It will identify a plan for how best to leverage existing efforts, including government policies and programs, to best capture the opportunities and respond to the challenges facing manufacturing,” he says.

The final report will include a road map for sectors ranging from basic metals to advanced manufacturing, covering key platform areas such as nanotechnology; biotechnology; information and communications technologies; and capabilities expected to transform industry over the coming decade.

The task force will meet for the first time next month.