Improving Australia’s access to batteries will be essential for building Australia’s economic resilience as Australia transitions to net zero, and diversifying and modernising Australia’s industrial base.
For this reason, the National Battery Strategy is a key part of the government’s Future Made in Australia agenda. The strategy will improve Australia’s resilience and security and drive economic growth by expanding Australia’s battery manufacturing capabilities and building skills. This will help us meet our target of 82% renewable energy and secure our place in global battery supply chains.
Australia is well placed to seize opportunities in renewable energy thanks to Australia’s:
- availability of resources including battery minerals (e.g. lithium, nickel, copper and cobalt)
- strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards
- reputation as a trusted trading partner with a low-risk and stable investment environment
- pioneers in battery and energy storage research.
Our vision
By 2035, Australia is a globally competitive producer of batteries and battery materials, providing secure and resilient battery supply chains, delivering affordable and secure energy for Australians, boosting productivity and creating wealth and opportunity while being part of the global energy transition.
Strategic battery priorities
We’ll create a fully charged Australian battery industry by focusing on 5 key priorities:
- Build battery manufacturing capabilities in ways that strengthen economic resilience, leverage Australia’s comparative advantages and add value to our economy.
- Build knowledge and skills to create secure Australian-made jobs.
- Secure Australia’s place in global battery supply chains.
- Lead the world on sustainability, standards and the circular economy.
- Bring all levels of government together.
New battery actions: Budget 2024–25
- Battery Breakthrough: $523.2 million – will incentivise the production of high-value battery products in Australia’s areas of advantage – such as stationary energy storage – to strengthen economic resilience and support critical battery manufacturing capabilities.
- Building Future Battery Capabilities: $20.3 million – build our future battery capabilities and strengthen national collaboration, including:
- $9.9 million to the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) to map Australian battery capability and value chains, drive battery innovation and scale-up and deliver best practice guidelines and standards for the battery industry.
- $10 million to the Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre (PAIGC) to develop workforce skills and training to enable a safe and sustainable battery industry.
- Support to deliver the Australian Made Battery Precinct: $5.6 million – has been committed to conduct foundational work to support the establishment of the Australian Made Battery Precinct, in partnership with the Queensland Government. This will help realise the Australian Government’s commitment to invest up to $100 million in the precinct.
- Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund: $1.7 billion – will accelerate the deployment of innovation in priority industries, which includes clean energy technologies such as batteries manufacturing.
Outcomes
Economic
Support Australia’s renewable energy transition through secure and well-paying jobs, value-adding to Australia’s refined minerals, capturing a larger share of the global battery value chain.
Social
Meet our responsibilities to address climate change and transition to renewable energy, leading strong ESG standards in global battery markets.
Resilience
Diversify global battery supply chains and strengthen Australia’s economic resilience, ensuring reliable energy storage that will support greater use of renewables in Australia’s energy systems.