Australian Built 2026

In Canberra on Wednesday 16 September we hosted the first ever Australian Built. It was a real testament to the collaboration of this incredible industry. Full report below.

The clear message from the day:

Australia has a large and growing climate technology industry.

Here is the highlight video:

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Key points:

1. With Minister Chris Bowen and Minster Tim Ayres speaking along with Jerome Laxale MP Ed Husic MP Zali Steggall OAM MP Allegra Spender Steph Hodgins-May (and Nicolette Boele (who was unable to attend due to illness), and more than 20 MP's and Senators coming for thoe showcase, it's clear that this industry is important for Australias economic and jobs future. Now we need to build on it.
2. The seven companies that showcased were clear evidence of our global leadership. They show what Australian-built looks like and we should get behind them as much as we can.

Australian Built - 2026 - Full Report

150+ founders, investors, industry leaders and policymakers came together across the day. In the morning at Parliament House, we put Australian-built technology in front of the people shaping industry, energy and innovation policy. In the afternoon at Canberra Innovation Network, we worked through what would help these companies scale here.

The message across the day was consistent: Australia has a strong foundation of an industry. But, scaling it is hard.

Here is what we heard, what the industry asked for, the companies to know, and what happens next.

The opportunity is already here

Australian companies are already manufacturing climate and energy technology around the country: 15 operational facilities, more than 5,000 manufacturing jobs and around $8 billion invested, across electrolysers, battery materials, thermal storage and circular systems.

By 2035, this sector could reach 20,000 manufacturing jobs and $100 billion in economic value. The risk is that the scale-up phase becomes too hard and the companies close or they move overseas.  Relectrify manufactures its new AC1 battery system in Taiwan, Earthodic has scaled commercial production in the US, and v2food closed its Wodonga manufacturing facility.

What we heard at Parliament House

Ministers Tim Ayres and Chris Bowen joined us, alongside Jerome Laxale MP, Ed Husic MP, Allegra Spender MP, Zali Steggall MP, Senator Stephanie Hodgins-May, the CEFC, the NRF, WWF Australia and more.

Several themes kept coming up:

• Back ourselves earlier. Waiting until a technology is proven overseas means Australia captures less of the manufacturing, IP and jobs.
• First customers are the most important catalyst. Procurement and long-term offtakes give companies the demand certainty to build here.
• The pilot-to-plant gap is real. Early capital and demonstration are possible here. Commercial-scale manufacturing needs a different level of capital and risk sharing.
• Regional Australia stands to gain significantly. Port Kembla, Newcastle, Queanbeyan, Toowoomba and Geelong already host these facilities.
• Policy certainty changes investment decisions. Founders comparing Australia with the US, Europe and Asia need a five to ten year view, not just this year's grant.

Minister Bowen also spoke to the ARENA Launchpad program, announced that morning to back Australia's next clean energy startups.

Speaker Highlights

• Minister Ayres: We need to invest earlier and broader to rebuild our manufacturing capability.
• Minister Bowen: Launching the ARENA Launchpad program, a $30 million funding pool.
• Ed Husic MP, Backing ourselves: We’ve built the the momentum, we’ve now got a once in a generation opportunity to build this new industry.
• CEFC (Owen Pascoe, Aiden Rohde): The external forces are pushing for change and this is the right time for Australia to assert our position globally.
• NRF Net Zero Fund (Frank Tonkin): For sovereign capability and security, we need to rebuild our advanced manufacturing muscle.
• Tim Buckley, the opportunity and lessons from China: China is building for long term economic and health benefit
• Gabriella Nunes (TRaCE), Dermot O'Gorman (WWF) and John Beever (CO2 Value): Australia has an incredible combination of university research, natural assets and global respect. We should be able to use this to lead the world in technology, biodiversity and carbon capture and use.

What industry asked government to do

In the afternoon, seven discussion tables (Innovation and Nature, Scaling and Exporting Deep Tech, Financing Climate Tech, Thinking Big, Future Made in Australia, and turned the morning into concrete proposals. Minister Ayres joined to share his priorities with the tables. The headline recommendations:

1. Emerging Markets Manufacturing Council: industry, unions and government co-designing a focused industrial plan for energy and climate technology.
2. Regional co-investment fund: $200M alongside private capital for hub-and-spoke manufacturing in green iron, critical minerals, batteries and clean fuels.
3. First-of-a-Kind Commercial Plant Program: $500M to help companies move from pilot to their first commercial plant on Australian soil.
4. Buy Australian-made: government procurement of Australian batteries, electrolysers, thermal storage and solar across Defence, Transport and Buildings.
5. Ten-year offtakes for energy storage and industrial decarbonisation, so companies and investors can commit to building capacity here.
6. Supporting measures: sectoral manufacturing roadmaps, zoning protection for manufacturing corridors, and a skills and apprenticeship pipeline.

The common thread: capital alone is not enough. Companies need customers, policy certainty and investors as partners.

The briefing has gone to every MP and Senator who joined us. Read it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JfKVs-o4mn8zIjKWng9VlVIaw-EjbfiY/view?usp=drivesdk

Meet the companies building it

• MGA Thermal (Mark Croudace): thermal energy storage that holds renewable energy as heat for industry and power. 40 manufacturing jobs in Newcastle.
• Amber Electric (Chris Thompson): software and automation that help households get more from their batteries, EVs and flexible energy use.
• Allegro Energy (Thomas Nann): long-duration flow batteries, including a 100kW / 800kWh, eight-hour system for Origin Energy at Eraring.
• Sicona Battery Technologies (James Reilly): next-generation battery materials, manufacturing at Port Kembla.
• MCi Carbon (Sophia Hamblin Wang): turns captured CO2 and industrial waste into materials for construction and industry. 55 manufacturing jobs in Newcastle.
• Gelion (Louis Adriaenssens): advanced battery technologies and materials for safer, scalable storage.
• Samsara Eco (Samantha Baiada): enzymatic recycling that breaks plastics back down into their building blocks. 65 manufacturing jobs in Queanbeyan.

What happens next

• Climate Tech Australia: What we do from here with this collaborative group is up to us. I know we all have limited time and budgets but this is valuable for us and we should work on developing it further.
• COP31: We are bringing an Australian Built Climate Tech session to COP. 16 November, 4pm at the Australian Pavilion. Reach out to Mick.
• Australian Built 2027: We will be back at Parliament House next year to report progress on jobs, facilities and apprentices. As one founder told us, we will need a bigger room. Reply to this email to register your interest.
• Back to Canberra: The Climate Capital Forum team is taking company updates back to Ministers and MPs every quarter, let’s make sure we support them.
• From Climate Salad: 2026 Australian Climate Tech Industry Report: Launching in November, if you’d like to contribute or support, contact Kathryn Tinker.  Plus Australian Climate Tech Awards: 25 November at Ashurst in Sydney. Early bird tickets now run until 6 November: https://events.humanitix.com/2026-australian-climate-tech-connect-and-awards

Photos and Videos

A big shout out to Jade who did amazing photos and vidoes, plus Liz Courtney who did a special highlight video as well.

Please share and tag us, along with the highlight video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV43IXFbwAI

Stay involved

If there is a company, investor, corporate customer or policymaker who should be part of Australian Built, please introduce us. And if there is one action, connection or policy issue you think we should pursue next, reply and tell us.

Thank you to everyone who travelled to Canberra, shared their experience, opened doors and demonstrated their technology.

A special thanks to those who contributed financially and those that volunteered their time to help make it a success.

Let's keep building.

Mick, Caroline and Kathryn

Climate Tech Australia

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