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The Morrison Government is backing Australian manufacturing, as well as the science and research that underpins it, as part of our Economic Recovery Plan to lead the nation out of the COVID-19 crisis by creating the jobs needed now and for generations to come.
The 2020-21 Budget includes an investment of $1.5 billion over four years for the Modern Manufacturing Strategy to allow Australian manufacturers to scale up, compete internationally and create more jobs.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, said the investments highlight the Government’s commitment to making science and technology work for industry, which is a key pillar of the Modern Manufacturing Strategy.
“A resilient and competitive manufacturing sector should be at the heart of a modern Australian economy and this Strategy will create jobs, drive our economy forward and make Australia more secure.”
“When you combine our new Modern Manufacturing Strategy with the increased funding for the CSIRO, you have a powerful base from which to turbo-charge job creation,” Minister Andrews said.
The centrepiece of the Modern Manufacturing Strategy is the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative, which will see the Government strategically invest in projects that help manufacturers to scale up and create jobs.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is, to galvanise investment in Australian manufacturing,” Minister Andrews said.
The Modern Manufacturing Initiative will support projects within six National Manufacturing Priorities: resources technology and critical minerals processing, food and beverage, medical products, recycling and clean energy, defence, and space.
Industry will be engaged to help develop tailored road maps for each of the priority sectors.
The Strategy will also address the competitiveness of individual manufacturers in our priority sectors, with a $52.8 million expansion of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund.
Earlier this year the Government invested $48.3 million to support around 200 projects worth $215 million, which are expected to create 2,600 jobs.
The COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted supply chain issues and opportunities. A $107.2 million Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will support projects that address an identified supply chain vulnerability.
The Budget also includes an additional $459.2 million in funding for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) over four years to address the impacts of COVID-19 on its commercial activities and ensure it is able to continue essential scientific research.
The 2020-21 Budget also includes measures to support the goal of Australia becoming a leading digital economy by 2030, with $29.7 million to help Australian businesses better use digital tools to readjust their operations and processes in a post-COVID economy.
This investment will accelerate the adoption of digital technologies by businesses, create jobs in sectors with high potential for growth, support the use of technology to make business regulatory compliance easier, and boost Australia’s influence over the development and deployment of digital standards.
The Government is committed to realising the potential of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Budget includes:

• $35.9 million to expand the Boosting Female Founders Initiative.
• $10 million to extend the successful Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants program.
• $2 million to extend the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative. This is also an important part of the Government’s Women’s Economic Security Statement.

The Government is also building sovereign capability in life-saving nuclear medicines with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) receiving an additional $238.1 million over the next four years.

The Morrison Government is investing in new services and initiatives to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have sustained economic and social opportunities as part of our economic recovery plan for Australia.
The Government is also ensuring that the challenges from COVID-19 do not slow down progress towards improving the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, said the Government is reforming the way it works with and for Indigenous Australians, focusing on partnerships and shared decision making to better target investments.
“The 2020-21 Budget continues the Government’s commitment to co-designing the solutions that will positively impact the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Minister Wyatt said.
The Government is rebuilding our economy by stimulating regional economic activity by ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people secure appropriate, affordable housing that is aligned with their priorities and needs. This will also contribute to Closing the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous Business Australia will receive an additional investment of $150 million over three years to deliver 360 home loans for new housing construction in regional Australia.
The extension of Indigenous Business Australia’s Indigenous Home Ownership Programme will support over 1,000 jobs by unlocking financing for shovel-ready construction projects in regional Australia and increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized housing.
The Government is also fulfilling one of its election commitments by finalising the agreement with the Queensland Government to deliver better housing for Indigenous people.
The 2020-21 Budget reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The Government will enhance the next phase of Closing the Gap with an investment of $46.5 million over four years to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations build their capacity and business models.
The Government is also continuing the Return of Cultural Heritage initiative by investing $10.1 million over four years for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to secure the return of more cultural heritage to traditional owners and custodians.
The recently announced Murray-Darling Basin Package includes $3.1 million to create four new Indigenous River Ranger groups to care for Country which will bring Indigenous knowledge and connection to country to support water and natural resource management activities within the Basin.
The Government is providing $39.8 million over four years for the Clontarf Foundation, including $7.6 million through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy for 2,000 extra scholarships on top of the 10,500 scholarships currently offered under existing arrangements. This new funding provides immediate support for additional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
In addition to these measures, the July Economic and Fiscal Update included $19.8 million to support Indigenous Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic and through the recovery phase. This funding included support to three Commonwealth wholly-owned Indigenous subsidiaries that have been severely impacted in 2020 and funding to support jurisdictions with the cost of implementing COVID-19 related travel restrictions to remote communities.
The Government is also continuing its commitment to the $5.4 billion Indigenous Advancement Strategy. This will see work continuing on projects to reduce the rates of Indigenous incarceration, youth suicide, family and domestic violence as well as improving the health, safety, wellbeing, education, employment and economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Budget demonstrates that the Coalition Government is supporting Indigenous Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic and is working closely with Indigenous communities to invest in local priorities.
The Government believes in working together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to make local decisions and give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities the support needed to deliver better life outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe shares the disappointment of Aboriginal communities and peak bodies of the lack of funding for First Nations in the 2020-21 Budget, in particular the lack of funding to achieve Closing the Gap strategy.
“I’ve been in the senate for one day and this Budget has been a clear example of how this government treats the  First People of this country,” said Senator Thorpe, Greens First Nations spokesperson.
“Not even two months ago the Morrison government recalibrated all of the Closing The Gap targets and they have failed again, they have no intention of Closing the Gap, thats been blatantly clear in this budget.
On July 30 this year the Morrison government told the country it had been working with Aboriginal community leaders on developing a refreshed Closing the Gap strategy, this is all talk and no action.
At the time a $46.5 million commitment was made over four years to community-controlled organisations to “build their capacity and business models”, however no additional funding to Aboriginal communities has been allocated in the 2020-21 Budget.
And the lack of new funding is a further insult when $52 million has been given to the gas industry alone.
“This Budget shows that it’s business as usual, more money to desecrate our land and water,  and destroy the climate. Meanwhile Aboriginal people are given the trinkets of the budget,” Senator Thorpe said.
“All I see in this Budget is government mates being looked after, rich getting richer and poor getting poorer and no guarantee for grassroots people who need it most.
“Deals with non-Aboriginal corporates and infrastructure projects with no guarantee of jobs or business opportunities for Aboriginal people are not going to fix things. This is a Budget for the millionaires, not the millions of unemployed and struggling people in this country.”

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi spokesperson has said that from early learning through to university and vocational training, the 2020-21 budget fails public education.
Senator Faruqi said:
“There’s nothing new in the budget for early childhood education. The government kept the sector on life support at the start of Covid-19, but early childhood education and care has been completely neglected now. Make early learning fee-free and everyone benefits.
“The public-private school funding gap remains disgusting. Private schools will receive $19 billion more than public schools over the next four years. The gap is growing, too. It’s time for the government to rip up the private school special deals and properly fund our public schools.
“Vocational education continues to be neglected and cut over the medium term. Well-funded and fee-free public TAFE, not privatisation and a mishmash of microcredentials, is the answer to giving everybody the opportunity to study, upskill and retrain throughout life.
“Funding a few short courses instead of making generational investment in post-school education is a naked attempt by the Liberals to save money and throw their for-profit education provider mates a bone.
“Let’s be clear about the supposed ‘new money’ for university research in the budget. It will barely cover the university funding cuts the government is ramming through right now, and won’t come near the loss from international students and projects on hold.
“We need generational new investment in research to aid our recovery, JobKeeper for universities to retain researchers who have lost their jobs, and free university for all to develop new talent,” she said.

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said the 2020-21 budget delivers nothing for social housing while cutting funding for homelessness services. Millions will be let down and thrust into very difficult circumstances by the Liberals’ failure to commit to funding basic services.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This budget is an abject failure for social housing. During Covid-19, there has almost been a political consensus that strong investment in social housing would be needed to build homes and create jobs. But the Liberals have left many out in the cold.
“With Covid-19 government support being cut back and more Australians at risk of homelessness while we remain stuck in recession, we urgently need more social housing to ensure everyone has a roof over their head.
“The government has cut funding for homelessness. More than $40 million will be cut from National Housing and Homelessness Agreement funding in 2021, putting services and their clients in the lurch.
“This inhuman budget has billions for corporations, but cuts for people experiencing or at risk of being homeless.
“It’s actually quite unbelievable that the Liberals would neglect essential housing services at this time. They had no problem finding almost $700 million for expensive renovation handouts through the HomeBuilder program,” she said.