Flashpoint: Former mining boss Nev Power says manufacturing and minerals key to COVID-19 economic recovery

The man behind the Prime Minister’s post COVID-19 economic task force says the jobs that will help Australia’s economy to recover are in the manufacturing and processing areas.

Appearing on Channel 7’s Flashpoint tonight, Perth Airport chairman and former FMG boss Nev Power will tell the panel his task force will encourage the more than 124,000 Australians who are looking for a job to consider those industries which are already established and can restart soon.

These include minerals processing — especially minerals used to create batteries, jobs in defence and nation-building projects like road and rail.

“What we’re looking at is those things that can be done immediately, what are those projects that already have the authorisations and approvals to do and are ready to go as soon as possible,” Mr Power said.

“Existing technology enabled to be invested in, so those will be the number one priority.”

“Secondly, what are the big infrastructure projects that we can bring private investors, whether they’re water projects, whether they’re industrial plants for manufacture or they’re roads and rail infrastructure.”

The former mining boss said WA’s economic recovery would come from businesses and people living and working here and the State Government needed to promote WA from a business perspective.

“Now we have the opportunity to promote the State, to draw people here with the skills and the technology that we need and that’s not just from within Australia, we should be looking right around the world now,” Mr Power said.

“We’ve got some burgeoning industries in Australia like space and technology, our defence procurement and manufacturing industries and advanced manufacture, chemicals, fertilisers, we should be saying, how do we attract those skills here and particularly looking to our north, how do we attract those companies that have been displaced by the coronavirus?”