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National Manufacturing Summit 2024 Making the renewable energy revolution a reality, all industries at a time. Building on the momentum of the 2023 National Manufacturing Summit, which focused on Renewable Energy: Challenges and Opportunities, the 2024 Summit embarked on an ambitious journey with its theme: Pathways to Success…Making the Renewable Energy Revolution a Reality. Geoff Crittenden opened proceedings at the Amora Hotel in Brisbane. He promised an even more in-depth and important event than in previous years, and Crittenden delivered. “The hope is that Australia can take the opportunity to start making what we need here at home,” he said. The 2024 Summit began by delving into the practical aspects of manufacturing within the renewable energy sector, highlighting the essential components driving Australia’s transition to a sustainable future. The Queensland Premier Steven Miles was there to open the conference, and the newly titled Assistant Minister for the Future Made in Australia, Tim Ayres, lent his presence as a call to action for the room of manufacturers, movers and shakers. “We stand at the crossroads of two futures,” said Ayres. “The only resource we don’t have is time.” The Australian Government’s commitment to reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050, as outlined in the Climate Change Act 2022, sets the stage for a transformative era in renewable energy. With an anticipated growth in renewable energy generation from 64GW to over 218GW by 2050, the manufacturing sector is at the forefront of this change, with unparalleled opportunities and significant challenges. From the Centre for Future Work, Charlie Joyce touched on the state of the global energy transition and implications for manufacturing, where Australia stands in the emerging renewable energy economy, and spoke about our pathway to success. Charlie’s co-presenter, Emeritus Professor David Peetz, loudly mentioned our position in the Harvard Growth Centre’s calculations of export system complexity. He said, “Pakistan, Uganda and Namibia have more complex export systems than Australia.” Joyce underscored Australia’s unique position to capitalise on the renewable energy sector due to its skilled labour, strong innovation capacity, and rich mineral resources critical for renewable technologies. However, he also pointed out the risk of Australia missing these opportunities due to its current role in the global value chain and low investment in manufacturing R&D. According to Joyce, “Australia has the opportunity to rebuild our value-added manufacturing sector, drive emissions reduction, and create thousands of good jobs. But our governments are pursuing a contradictory industrial strategy of supporting renewable energy industries while presiding over and subsidising expanded fossil fuel production.” He noted Australia’s subsidies to fossil fuel producers and major users totalled $14.5bn in 2023–2024, an increase of 31% on the previous year. Fossil fuel production and export compete with renewable energy for investment and skilled workforce. “Australia needs a coherent clean energy industrial strategy that phases out fossil fuel production and consumption and focuses on the renewable energy revolution.” Simon Kuestenmacher, from The Demographics Group, mapped out a future where Australia can capitalise on its demographic and natural advantages to foster a robust manufacturing sector aligned with global renewable energy demands, advocating for strategic policy frameworks to make this transition viable. The presentation addressed global primary energy consumption trends from 1965-2023, with a continuing dominance of coal, oil, and gas. “You cannot have a green revolution without also having a lot of holes in the ground,” he said. However, he emphasised the
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critical need to shift this energy base towards renewables to meet climate targets and global demand, mainly driven by the urban Asian middle class. Global energy demand will continue to grow for a decade or two. Ensuring renewables cover this additional demand is crucial in reaching climate targets. Australia can play a vital role in this transition. “Contrary to popular belief, the demise of Australian manufacturing has been greatly exaggerated,” said Kuestenmacher. Data from 1984 to 2021 shows fluctuations but not a steep decline in manufacturing jobs, which suggests a resilient sector capable of adaption. His analysis showed Australia’s ongoing transformation into a knowledge economy with evolving skill levels in the workforce from 1987 to 2023. This shift supports the narrative that Australia can develop a robust renewable energy manufacturing base due to its skilled labour force. Elizabeth Thurbon, a Professor of International Political Economy at the University of NSW, described this polycrisis as a situation where governments face various challenges. At the same time as scaling down fossil fuels, governments need to scale up renewables, all while navigating changes in the geo-strategic landscape, including a growing rivalry between China and the US. This poly-crisis is causing countries like Korea, China and Japan to rethink their energy policies and embrace a state-led energy approach. This approach is Green Energy Statecraft – using green energy policies to address economic, energy, environmental, and military security challenges. This new kind of statecraft in Southeast Asia is helping to speed up the benefits of a green energy economy. Green Energy Statecraft is a policy approach that Australia may also benefit from. Koen De Backer, an International Expert in Public Policy, spoke about green energy policy from a global perspective. According to Koen, the discussion is changing beyond the old and tired policy