澳大利亚每日大量出口铁矿石、锂、铝土矿等原材料，但这些资源经过加工后以成品形式返回，导致本土难以捕获更多价值[1]。制造业在澳大利亚经济中的地位持续下滑，其国内生产总值占比从1970年代的约14%跌至2025年的约5%，同期就业占比也从20%降至约6%[1]。相比之下，采矿业2024-25年度的产业增加值达2605.7亿澳元，而制造业仅为1419.7亿澳元[1]。当前澳大利亚制造业就业人数约为868000人[1]。
为应对这一困境，政府推出《澳大利亚制造未来》政策，旨在扩大本地制造和加工能力[1]。该政策的具体举措包括启动六十年来首个大型炼油厂可行性研究，以增强产业能力和能源安全[1]。澳大利亚的制造业基础已经大幅萎缩——霍顿汽车公司伊丽莎白工厂在2017年关闭，结束了超过70年的国内汽车生产历史[1]。
Australia daily ships out raw materials including iron ore, lithium, and bauxite, only to purchase them back as finished products that capture significantly greater value [1]. This pattern reflects a dramatic decline in the nation's manufacturing capacity over recent decades.
The manufacturing sector's share of gross domestic product has plummeted from approximately 14 percent in the 1970s to around 5 percent by 2025, while its employment contribution fell from 20 percent to roughly 6 percent over the same period [1]. In contrast, mining generated AUD 260.57 billion in industry value added during 2024-25, compared to manufacturing's AUD 141.97 billion [1]. The sector currently employs approximately 868,000 Australians [1]. A symbolic blow came in 2017 when Holden's Elizabeth plant closed, ending over 70 years of domestic automotive production [1].
To address this structural imbalance, the government introduced the "Future Made in Australia" policy, which includes launching the nation's first large-scale refinery feasibility study in sixty years to strengthen local processing capacity and energy security [1].