Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, Inquiry into Preparing for Emerging Industries Across Northern Australia

The Northern Australia Universities Alliance (NAUA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this important inquiry into preparing for emerging industries across Northern Australia.

NAUA is a strategic partnership between CQUniversity (CQU), Charles Darwin University (CDU), and James Cook University (JCU), collectively supporting over 79,000 students across 29 campuses, including 21 regional and remote locations. United by a shared commitment to the sustainable development of the North, NAUA leverages its collective strengths to deliver education, research, and workforce solutions tailored to the region’s unique challenges and opportunities, as detailed in the NAUA Capabilities table. 

As foundation institutions supporting the emergence of new industries in the north, the NAUA and its member universities strongly support the Terms of Reference for this inquiry, and we welcome the Committee’s focus on enabling these emerging industries. mAs the primary higher education and research providers in the North, NAUA has a direct interest in two critical enablers of regional transformation: 

• Workforce Development: NAUA is committed to building place-based education and training pathways that respond to industry needs, support equity groups, and retain talent in the North. This includes targeted initiatives in clean energy, critical minerals, digital inclusion, and the empowerment of First Nations.
• Research and Development Growth: It is necessary to coordinate long-term research investment and knowledge translation in Northern Australia as outlined in the Action Plan for Northern Australia 2024–29 and recommended in the 2025 Independent NAIF Review and the Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia. 

NAUA stands ready to partner with government, industry, and communities to deliver the education, research and development, and workforce solutions needed to support emerging industries and ensure Northern Australia’s prosperity. In this submission, we highlight key requirements to support emerging industries and outline proposals to address these requirements.