Canberra’s pivot into activist industry and energy policy, and hands-on oversight of the digital economy, will need a serious uplift of business development and operational capability in the federal public sector.

After a generation of getting out of direct market-facing activity and privatisations, departments and agencies lack the depth of business smarts and commercial wisdom to design, build, and oversee these significant investments if the Future Made In Australia program is not to end up being a giant boondoggle.