Manufacturing

The manufacturing sector underpins many other sectors of the Queensland economy, making it important that new technologies and practices are adopted to enhance production and competitiveness.

Using smart technologies to optimise production, creating new products from waste streams, or using more renewable and energy efficient technologies will provide low-carbon opportunities for the manufacturing industry across Queensland.

Government action

Queensland is already positioning our manufacturing sector to harness the opportunities of a low carbon, innovative future.

Existing action includes:

  • Investments

    • The 2019 Queensland Hydrogen Industry Strategy highlights the Queensland Government’s commitment to facilitate the growth of a clean hydrogen industry. The strategy also supports innovation in industry and manufacturing that drive productivity and decreasing the cost of producing renewable hydrogen. Through the strategy more than $60 million has been invested. This has included support for industry development activities, investment in education, training and skills that will provide a pathway to the highly skilled jobs of the future and financial assistance for private sector projects through the Hydrogen Industry Development Fund.
  • Actions

    • The ecoBiz program, managed by the Business Chamber Queensland and funded by the Queensland Government, supports the manufacturing industry to reduce emissions, increase efficiencies and save money.
  • Plans

    • The Queensland Advanced Manufacturing 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan delivers an integrated approach to positioning Queensland as a leader in advanced manufacturing technologies, products, systems and services, ensuring the sector can capitalise on the opportunities that will come with Industry 4.0.
    • The Queensland Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan is leading the development of Queensland’s biofutures industry towards achieving the vision of a $1 billion sustainable and export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector, attracting significant international investment and creating regional, high-value and knowledge-intensive jobs.

Climate action projects

View all climate action projects

Jobs and skills for Queensland’s future

Existing initiatives to help create jobs and skill Queenslanders for future opportunities in the manufacturing sector include:

  • The Queensland Advanced Manufacturing 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan includes a range of actions to drive the ongoing development of a highly-skilled workforce. A key outcome focuses on the development of the Skills Implementation Plan for Advanced Manufacturing. The Plan will support Queensland manufacturers to improve their productivity and build the skills necessary to participate in the journey towards advanced manufacturing.
  • Jobs Queensland’s Advanced Manufacturing Skills: A Skills, Training and Workforce Development Strategy for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry in Queensland supports Queensland manufacturers to develop the workforce skills needed for the sector in a time of change.
  • The Queensland Biofuels mandate supports the growth of Queensland’s biofuels industry. This provides the foundation to further develop a high-tech, knowledge-based biomanufacturing.
  • The Circular Economy Lab supports over 25 businesses to change the way they think about materials, resources and waste. The Lab provides the framework for key industry stakeholders to address industry challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
  • The Queensland Government has invested $30 million into regional manufacturing Hubs in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton and Gladstone. Each hub will provide a place for local manufacturing businesses to receive expert advice and support the move to advanced manufacturing through world-leading technologies.
  • The Queensland Government is establishing Manufacturing Skills Queensland through its Future Skills Fund to support both existing workers and new entrants into the manufacturing industry.
  • Through its Future Skills Fund, the Queensland Government is providing funding for modern infrastructure for TAFE Queensland (TAFEQ) campuses across Queensland to support high-quality training in industries delivering jobs of the future, including advanced manufacturing and robotics.
  • The Queensland Government partners with the Queensland Manufacturing Institute to build the state’s manufacturing and engineering future workforce through the Advanced Manufacturing Gateway to Industry Schools project. The project offers students a range of experiences to broaden science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) knowledge and develop best practice models of pipelining talent to advanced manufacturing industries.
  • The Queensland Government provides targeted investment through a number of vocational education and training programs to assist the manufacturing industry to train and upskill their current and future workforce and provide apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities.

What you can do

Community, business and industry are encouraged to take action to harness opportunities in a low carbon future.

Read about the Queensland Government’s current grants and funding opportunities.

More sectors

  • The Queensland Government’s commitment to unlock renewable investment and achieve our renewable energy target of 50% by 2030 is a key mechanism to support our emissions reduction targets.

  • The production of wind turbines, solar cells, batteries and high-tech devices like mobile phones offers opportunities for Queensland’s resources sector. ‘critical minerals’ like copper, cobalt and graphite are critical to these products and place Queensland in a unique position to contribute to the developing high-tech, low carbon economy.

  • The manufacturing sector underpins many other sectors of the Queensland economy, making it important that new technologies and practices are adopted to enhance production and competitiveness.

  • The shift to zero-emission vehicles, including batteries, fuel cells and biofuels, and complementary industries, such as the manufacture of green hydrogen and sustainable mining of essential minerals, can create new manufacturing businesses and jobs. There are also wider benefits from a zero emission future including lower transport costs and improved air quality that will contribute to more liveable and resilient Queensland communities.

  • The shift to a low-carbon future presents significant opportunities for Queensland’s land and agriculture sector and its supply chain to deliver productivity, profitability and environmental benefits.

  • The opportunity to develop more efficient and climate resilient buildings and infrastructure will reduce running costs and avoid expensive reconstruction in the long term.

  • The Queensland tourism industry has the opportunity to demonstrate best practice sustainability and build on Queensland’s reputation as a first-class tourism destination.

  • First Nations communities have a deep and enduring relationship with—and connection and responsibility to—land, sea and sky; a connection that is impacted by climate change.