Backing Australia - Building a Stronger, More Resilient Nation
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C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE welcomes News Corp Australia's renewed Back Australia campaign …
C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE welcomes News Corp Australia's renewed Back Australia campaign, recognising the importance of supporting Australian businesses, strengthening sovereign capability and investing in the industries, people and infrastructure that underpin our nation's future.
News Corp Australia's Back Australia initiative is bringing renewed national attention to something fundamental to Australia's long-term prosperity: the strength, competitiveness and resilience of Australian businesses and industries.
The campaign's emphasis on Australian manufacturing, supporting local businesses, reducing excessive reliance on overseas suppliers and rebuilding domestic industrial capability is both timely and important.
Recent research highlighted through the campaign indicates that 85 per cent of Australians want more manufacturing undertaken domestically, while 73 per cent are concerned about Australia's dependence on overseas suppliers.
These are significant indicators of public sentiment and reflect a growing recognition that Australia's future prosperity cannot be considered separately from its economic security, supply chains and sovereign capabilities.
At C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE, these are issues we have been actively examining and advancing through our research, industry engagement, government discussions, workshops, events and published strategic intelligence.
We welcome News Corp Australia's commitment to bringing these matters into the national conversation.
Supporting Australian Business Is Supporting Australian Resilience
Backing Australian businesses means more than encouraging consumers to purchase locally manufactured products.
It means creating the conditions in which businesses can invest, innovate, compete, employ Australians and grow sustainably.
It also means recognising the challenges facing businesses across manufacturing, construction, agriculture, hospitality, retail, technology, health, professional services and regional communities.
Many of these industries face common pressures, including energy costs, supply-chain vulnerabilities, workforce shortages, productivity challenges, regulatory complexity and increasingly uncertain international conditions.
A resilient national economy requires businesses that are capable of navigating these challenges while continuing to contribute to employment, economic activity and community prosperity.
C4R's work has consistently recognised that resilience is not simply about preparing for crises. It is about strengthening the underlying systems that allow businesses, communities and nations to function, adapt and prosper.
Sovereign Capability Is More Than Manufacturing
Australia has substantial natural resources, established industries, innovative businesses and considerable opportunities in advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.
However, possessing resources or attracting investment does not automatically translate into sovereign capability.
The ability to extract critical minerals, for example, does not necessarily mean Australia has the processing, refining, manufacturing and technological capabilities required to convert those resources into finished products.
Similarly, major defence investments must be supported by capable Australian suppliers, skilled workers, energy security, infrastructure and reliable industrial supply chains.
South Australia is particularly well positioned to contribute to this national ambition through AUKUS, defence shipbuilding, steel, critical minerals, energy, advanced manufacturing and associated industries.
These opportunities also highlight the importance of protecting and strengthening existing industrial capabilities.
The challenge is not simply to attract investment, but to ensure that investment generates sustainable Australian businesses, employment, skills, innovation and long-term national capability.
C4R's Ongoing Commitment
C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE has been contributing to these discussions through research-led publications, industry briefings, strategic intelligence, government engagement and events designed to connect challenges with practical opportunities.
Our work has examined supply-chain resilience, sovereign capability, critical minerals, domestic processing, industrial continuity, energy security, workforce development and the economic consequences of international dependencies.
In July 2026, C4R hosted its Jobs, Skills & Migration Briefing in Adelaide, bringing together representatives from government, industry and business to explore Australia's workforce challenges and the importance of coordinated responses.
Our published research into Australian supply-chain resilience has also emphasised the need for businesses to understand their critical dependencies, identify vulnerabilities, develop alternatives and strengthen their ability to continue operating during disruption.
Through our Australian and global resilience newsroom and the ongoing development of our SIRE strategic intelligence framework, C4R is also working towards more systematic identification and assessment of emerging risks, strategic pressures and opportunities affecting businesses, industries and communities.
These initiatives reflect a consistent objective: to connect research, strategic understanding and collaboration with practical resilience outcomes.
Collaboration Between Business, Government and Research
One of the strongest messages emerging from C4R's work is that no single organisation, business or government can independently address Australia's economic and industrial challenges.
A more resilient Australia requires genuine cooperation between industry, government, universities, research institutions, investment organisations and communities.
Governments have an important role in establishing the conditions for investment, infrastructure development, workforce capability and competitive enterprise.
Businesses drive innovation, employment, productivity and commercial investment.
Research institutions contribute knowledge, technology and evidence to support better decisions.
Independent organisations such as C4R can contribute by bringing these stakeholders together, identifying strategic dependencies, publishing research and facilitating practical discussions that support long-term outcomes.
Workshops, industry forums, policy papers and strategic intelligence all have a role in turning national ambition into measurable progress.
Turning National Support Into Long-Term Capability
News Corp Australia's Back Australia campaign provides a valuable opportunity to broaden public understanding of the importance of Australian businesses and industries.
Its national reach can help encourage discussion, consumer awareness and greater recognition of the businesses that contribute to Australian communities.
But sustained progress will also depend upon practical action.
That includes improving supply-chain resilience, strengthening Australian industry participation, encouraging innovation, supporting workforce development and ensuring strategically important capabilities remain accessible when international circumstances change.
Australia does not need to manufacture everything domestically.
It does, however, need to understand which capabilities are essential to its national security, economic continuity and community wellbeing, and how those capabilities can be maintained and strengthened.
This is where national advocacy, independent research, informed government policy and industry collaboration can collectively make a difference.
C4R Welcomes the Opportunity to Contribute
C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE congratulates News Corp Australia and its participating organisations on continuing to promote the importance of Australian businesses, industry and manufacturing.
The campaign reinforces issues that C4R has been progressing through its existing programmes, publications and industry engagement.
We welcome opportunities to contribute to the broader conversation, share our research, participate in industry forums and collaborate with organisations committed to strengthening Australia's resilience and sovereign capability.
Ultimately, supporting Australia is about much more than the origin of the products we purchase.
It is about ensuring our businesses can prosper, our industries can remain competitive, our workforce has the skills required for the future, and our nation has the capability to withstand disruption.
Backing Australia means investing in the people, businesses, industries and capabilities that will sustain our prosperity for generations to come.
A stronger Australia is a more resilient Australia.
C4R - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE is an independent, nonpartisan Australian organisation advancing resilience through strategic intelligence, research, advocacy, industry engagement and practical collaboration.
References and further reading
News Corp Australia - Back Australia campaign relaunch, The Advertiser, October 2026
News Australia's Back Australia Campaign Returns for Second Year - B&T
C4R - How Australian Businesses Can Build Supply Chain Resilience and Sovereign Capability
About C4R™ - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE :
C4R™- CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE provides curated, source-based analysis and reporting, combining verified news with strategic insight and resilience-focused interpretation. For in depth analysis of topics like these reach out to C4R™.
C4R™ - CENTRE FOR RESILIENCE is an independent, Australian-based Think Tank initiative advancing economic, social, infrastructure and leadership resilience through research, measurement and practical programs with business, government and community partners.
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