Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham

South Australia is set to be home of a new high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, thanks to a $20 million funding package from the Morrison Government that will also deliver hundreds of new jobs for the state.

The funding will support Noumed Pharmaceuticals – a major global supplier of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and therapeutics – to establish an $85 million manufacturing facility at Salisbury South.

The company currently manufactures all of the products it supplies to the Australian market offshore, but will become almost entirely self-sufficient when the new facility opens by 2025.

Federal Finance Minister and Senator for South Australia Simon Birmingham said the project was expected to create up to 250 jobs during the construction phase and a further 180 ongoing positions once operational in 2025.

“This is a big win for jobs and another vote of confidence in South Australia’s high-tech manufacturing capability,” Minister Birmingham said.

“South Australia has a proven track-record of attracting global companies and it’s no coincidence that a global pharmaceutical company like Noumed has chosen South Australia for the site of its first Australian manufacturing facility.  

“The pandemic has shown us how easily global supply chains can be interrupted, which is why we’re backing manufacturing projects that will boost our sovereign capability to produce critical products such as pharmaceuticals.”

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall thanked the Commonwealth and Noumed for investing in South Australia, which was building a reputation as innovation hub and a high-tech manufacturing centre.

“Noumed’s presence in South Australia will do more than just create good local manufacturing jobs,” Premier Marshall said.

“The company will also have a strong focus on research and development, creating job opportunities across the workforce for scientists, pharmacy graduates, logistics experts and engineers, as well as opportunities for collaboration with our local research institutions.

“These are exactly the sorts of projects we have been working hard to deliver for our State, bringing with them the jobs of the future and the economic growth that benefits us all.

“South Australia is the most liveable city in the country, and the third in the world and investment such as this just adds to what South Australia has to offer.”

Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said medical products where one of six National Manufacturing Priorities identified by the Government under its $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy (MMS).

The centrepiece of the strategy is the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative, which is supporting companies like Noumed.

“Noumed is one of five medical product manufacturers across Australia that we are announcing funding for today, all of which will deliver strong job growth in this important sector of our economy,” Minister Porter said.

“We also know that for every manufacturing job we create, at least another three are generated in other industries thanks the multiplier effect that our investments have on the broader economy.”

The other medical product projects to receive funding include:

• Avicena Systems in WA will receive $3 million to scale up manufacturing of its rapid and low-cost mass screening platform for COVID-19, which can detect whether someone is infectious in 35 minutes. The system can process up to 100,000 tests per day and can be deployed at airports to test passengers before they fly.
• Vaxxas in Queensland will use its $4.4 million in funding to ramp up production of its world-leading patch vaccination device that is worn on the skin like a band-aid to deliver vaccines into the bloodstream.
• Cyclowest in WA which will use its $2.5 million in funding to scale up its facility with a state-of-the-art cyclotron, which produces therapy radiopharmaceuticals that contribute to helping clinicians diagnose medical conditions, including cancer.
• GBS (APAC) in NSW, which will use its $6.3 million in funding to build a new medical device manufacturing facility to enable the commercialisation of technology for diagnostic tests.

To learn more about the Modern Manufacturing Strategy visit www.industry.gov.au/manufacturing