Although primary production is the main industry in Australia, manufacturing in Australia is still a significant industry.
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The contribution of manufacturing to Australia's gross domestic product peaked in the 1960s at 25%, and had dropped to 13% by 2001–2[1] and 10.5% by 2005–6[2]. In 2004–05, the manufacturing industry exported products worth $67,400 million, and employed 1.1 million people[3]
In 2000–2001, $3300 million was spent on assistance to the manufacturing industry, with 40% going to the textile, clothing and footwear industry and the passenger motor vehicle industry.[4] At that time, manufacturing accounted for 48% of exports, and 45% of Australian research and development.[1]
In 2008, the breakdown of manufacturing by state, and the fraction of gross state product (GSP) which it contributed, were as follows[5]
| State | Fraction of manufacturing | Fraction of GSP |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 32 | 10 |
| Victoria | 28 | 12 |
| Queensland | 17 | 9 |
| South Australia | 8 | 13 |
| Western Australia | 10 | 8 |
| Tasmania | 3 | 13 |
| Northern Territory | 1 | 7 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.5 | 2 |
Between 2001 and 2007, the approximate breakdown by industry changed as follows[5]
| Industry | Percent in 2001 | Percent in 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Food, beverages and tobacco | 19 | 19 |
| Textile, clothing and footwear | 5 | 3 |
| Wood and paper products | 7 | 6 |
| Printing, publishing and recorded media | 10 | 10 |
| Petroleum, coal and chemical products | 15 | 14 |
| Non-metal mineral products | 4 | 5 |
| Metal products | 18 | 19 |
| Machinery and equipment | 17 | 19 |
| Other manufacturing | 4 | 4 |
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is the largest in Australia. The sectors include the following:[6]
| Sector | Turnover(2005–06, $millions) |
|---|---|
| Meat and meat products | 17,836 |
| Beverage and malt manufacturing | 13,289 |
| Dairy products | 9,991 |
| Sugar and confectionery manufacturing | 6,456 |
| Fruit and vegetable processing | 4,672 |
| Bakery products | 4,005 |
| Flour mill and cereal food manufacturing | 3,692 |
| Oil and fat manufacturing | 1,547 |
| Seafood processing | 1,330 * |
| Other food manufacturing | 8,554 |
| Total | 71,372 |
* Before the 2010 closure of the Port Lincoln Tuna cannery
Until trade liberalisation in the mid 1980s, Australia had a large textile industry. This decline continued through the first decade of the 21st century[5]. Since the 1980s, tariffs have steadily been reduced; in early 2010, the tariffs were reduced from 17.5 percent to 10percent on clothing, and 7.5–10% to 5% for footwear and other textiles.[7] As of 2010, most manufacturing, even by Australian companies, is performed in China.
As of 2010, three companies manufacture cars in Australia: GM-Holden, Ford and Toyota. Mitsubishi Motors Australia ceased production in March 2008.
Holden bodyworks are manufactured at Elizabeth, South Australia and engines are produced at the Fishermens Bend plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria. In 2006, Holden's export revenue was just under $1300 million.[8]
Ford has two main factories, both in Victoria: located in the Geelong suburb of Norlane and the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows.
Until 2006, Toyota had factories in Port Melbourne and Altona, Victoria. Since then, all manufacturing has been at Altona. In 2008, Toyota exported 101,668 vehicles worth $1900 million[9].
Australia has a chemical industry, including the manufacture of many petrochemicals[10].
Many mining companies, such as BHP Billiton and Comalco, perform initial processing of raw materials[11]. Similarly, Australia's agriculture feeds into the chemical industry. Tasmania produces 40% of the worlds raw narcotic materials[12]; some of this is locally converted into codeine and other pharmaceuticals in Tasmania by Tasmanian Alkaloids, owned by Johnson and Johnson, while GlaxoSmithKline processes some of the resulting poppy straw in Victoria.
The following Australasian-made products are still fairly readily available. For more boutique products, see the search engines below.
Many brands which used to be manufactured in Australasia no longer are. The following are notable examples.
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