Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr today announced the membership of the Gillard Government's new Manufacturing Taskforce, announced at last month's Future Jobs Forum.
The new high-level Taskforce will map out a shared vision for the future of Australia's manufacturing sector and help strengthen local firms as they adapt to changes in our economy, including the rise of Asia.
We want to see the sector move up the value chain. To do this we need to build the skills and innovation that the sector needs for a new era of manufacturing.
The Prime Minister will personally chair this taskforce, with Minister Carr as deputy chair. Because this is a whole-of-government task, a number of other senior ministers will work on the taskforce.
Membership of the new group will also include manufacturing industry leaders, academics and unions. The list of initial members of the taskforce is below.
Senator Kim Carr said the new taskforce would help ensure manufacturing remains a key part of our 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.
The taskforce will meet for the first time in November 2011.
Prime Ministers Taskforce on Manufacturing - Members
Government
The Hon Julia Gillard MP, Prime Minister (Chair)
Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Deputy Chair)
The Hon Wayne Swan MP, Deputy Prime Minister
Senator the Hon Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations
Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Finance and Deregulation
The Hon Craig Emerson, Minister for Trade
The Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Defence Materiel
Industry
Mr Philip Binns, Vice President and General Manager, Agilent Technologies
Mr Geoff Plummer, CEO, OneSteel
Mr Ian Thomas, President, Boeing
Ms Heather Ridout, CEO, AiG
Mr Mike Devereux, Chairman and Managing Director, Holden
Mr Chris Jenkins MD Thales
Mr Phil Butler, MD, Textor Technologies
Ms Rebecca Dee Bradbury, CEO, Kraft Australia
Unions
Mr Jeff Lawrence, ACTU
Mr Paul Howes, National Secretary, Australian Workers Union
Mr David Oliver, National Secretary, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
Mr Michael O'Connor, CFMEU
Mr Charlie Donnelly, NUW
Ms Michele O'Neil, TCFUA
Science and Technology
Professor Roy Green, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Business, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Megan Clark, Chief Executive, CSIRO
Professor Jonathan West, AIRC, University of Tasmania