Chemistry Australia has said it welcomes the appointment of Keith Pitt as Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia in the latest cabinet reshuffle.
The body representing one of Australia’s largest manufacturing sectors says that it hopes Minister Pitt will help Australian manufacturers compete in the global market through the supply of reliable and affordable Australian natural gas.
The Australian chemistry industry is a significant user of Australian gas, driving more than $286 million of local economic activity for every petajoule of gas it consumes. The sector contributes $38 billion to Australia’s GDP and supports thousands of jobs located in every state in Australia.
“As one of the largest manufacturing sectors and a significant user of Australian gas, the Australian chemistry industry welcomes the opportunity to work with Minister Pitt to ensure our vast natural resources deliver broad economic benefit by supporting thousands of Australian jobs in gas-based manufacturing,” Chemistry Australia CEO Samantha Read said.
“Affordable, reliable feedstock and energy is critical for our industry, which underpins the employment of more than 212,000 Australians in highly skilled, full-time equivalent jobs and provides inputs to 108 of 114 industries.
“We look forward to working with Minister Pitt to implement policies that enable our manufacturers to continue contributing to our economy and communities by adding significant value to our abundant local gas resources.”
Members of Chemistry Australia are positioned across the entire value chain including manufacturers, importers and distributors, logistics and supply chain partners, raw material suppliers, fabricators, compounders, recyclers, research, academia and service providers to the industry.
The member network represents inputs into almost every value chain in Australia, including food and agriculture; advanced manufacturing, medical technologies and pharmaceuticals; and mining equipment, technology and services.