When embattled Tritium chief executive Jane Hunter approached National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) chairman Martijn Wilder in September about the possibility of accessing capital, there was hope the Brisbane fast-charger company could be the “first cab off the rank” from the Albanese government’s $15 billion manufacturing fund.

The company’s factory in Brisbane had been a regular stop for federal and state politicians wanting to talk up the “Aussie success story” taking new technology to the world.