Office of Supply Chain Resilience

We focus on critical supply chain vulnerabilities that could impact Australia’s national interest.

This includes our:

health, safety or wellbeing
economic stability and viability
national security
international partners.

We advise the Australian Government on supply chain risks and potential actions to improve resilience.

Our work has ensured ongoing access to essential goods and services including:

personal protective equipment (PPE)
critical pharmaceuticals
agricultural chemicals
semiconductors
telecommunications equipment
water treatment chemicals
critical plastics.

Working with industry

We engage directly with targeted sectors to help us understand Australia’s supply chain risks. These business insights can provide early warning signs of disruptions to critical supply chains.

We also host a supply chain roundtable with peak bodies across key manufacturing and services sectors, including:

healthcare
food production
chemicals
construction.

Partnering with countries on global supply chains

We are working with the United Kingdom (UK) on a joint supply chain resilience initiative. The project provides capability building support to interested countries through shared insights and approaches.

The initiative supports interested countries to:

improve public sector approaches to building critical supply chain resilience
strengthen global supply chains through shared learning and coordinated action
build greater transparency into key global supply chains
promote international action to respond to disruptions.

Visit the UK Government webpage about the initiative

Email us and the UK Government to find out more

Australia–UK Joint Supply Chain Resilience Initiative: introduction module

Access the introduction module

Supply chain resilience framework

We apply the following framework to identify and address disruption risk in Australia’s critical supply chains. The framework helps Australian Government agencies assess:

Vulnerability through:
- quantitative and qualitative analysis
- government and business data sources
- engagement with stakeholders
- scenario analysis.
Criticality by measuring the potential impact of supply disruptions on Australia's national interest.
Residual risk by understanding whether industry has enough opportunity, capacity and incentive during disruptions to:
- prevent
- absorb
- adapt (substitute) or
- transform processes.
Targeted and proportionate responses by considering which policy is most appropriate to manage any residual risk.

Types of policy responses

The framework includes 4 types of policy responses. These aim to:

address supply chain disruption risks
avoid unnecessary costs.

Response type	Examples
No regrets action	organising private investment information sharing international collaboration reducing trade barriers deregulation for business managing market efforts.
Responsive support	Following a disruption to help businesses: ration or extend current supplies find alternate supply sources use substitutes adapt production processes.
Pre-emptive support	To help businesses prepare before a disruption , including: stockpiling contingent contracting arrangements building in pivotable capabilities before a disruption occurs.
Onshoring and restrictions	To limit exposure to global supply disruptions by developing: sovereign capability time-limited export restrictions mandatory import concentration thresholds.