The Australian Government has provided a further $33 million to support Australian made food and beverage companies, securing the country’s economic recovery by backing local businesses and creating new jobs.
“More than one million Australians are once again employed in manufacturing and we want businesses to be successful and create even more jobs,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“Under Labor, one in eight manufacturing jobs were lost and Australians can’t risk this sort of economic mismanagement as we begin to open up again.”
The added funding is part of the latest round of the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), boosting manufacturing from Kingaroy to Hobart.
With food and beverage production being the largest manufacturing sector in Australia, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the grants would bolster the thriving sector and unlock further significant investment.
“This funding will help some of the most innovative producers leverage technology to increase their production while meeting growing export demand and creating new local jobs,” Minister Taylor said.
“Not only will this funding help maximise the agricultural advantages we enjoy, but it will also help regional Australia and the supply chains that operate throughout it.”
Seven Australian companies will share in the funding. The successful food and beverage companies under the MMI are:
- Sabrini Foods — will use $1.4 million to transform Aussie dairy into extended shelf life and frozen paneer, overcoming one of the constraints to export.
- Bulla — will use $4.5 million for a purpose-built facility to make new ice cream lines from Australian dairy for sale here and overseas.
- Plenty Foods — will use its $9 million in funding to transform Australian nuts into locally-made protein nut flour.
- Turbine Sunshine Coast — will use its $8.7 million in funding to establish a research and development centre and large-scale contract beverage manufacturing facility.
- Mulgowie Fresh — will use its $5.1 million to expand its processing capability and capacity in sweet corn and beans, increasing its supplies both domestically and in South East Asia.
- Sullivans Cove Distillery — will use its $3.3 million in funding to help build its new state-of-the-art production facility.
- Ennio — will use its $ 1.3 million in funding to develop its world-first patented technology for manufacturing nettings and casings specifically for the global meat and poultry industry.
The MMI is the centrepiece of the Government’s $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy, designed to position Australia as a globally recognised, high-quality and sustainable manufacturing nation.
Food and Beverage is the fourth stream of funding across priority areas identified under the MMI and follows $100 million invested in Space, Medical Products, and Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing announced in July.
Funding across the remaining areas of Recycling and Defence will be announced soon.
Source: Prime Minister Media Release