National COVID-19 Coordination Commission boss Nev Power has said Australia and the world are too reliant on Chinese supply lines and the disruption caused by the coronavirus could spark a renaissance in smart, high-tech local manufacturing.

The comments on Perth's 6PR Radio came as Australian businesses scramble to fill the demand for medical equipment and supplies ahead of the pandemic's peak.

COVID-19 coordination commissioner Nev Power is working on the local manufacture of critical medical supplies. Credit:Carla Gottgens

Mr Power, the former chief executive of Fortescue Metals Group, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison had tasked the commission to look at long-term manufacturing competitiveness and how disrupted supply chains could be replaced by Australian manufacturers.

He said the decline in local industry had been happening for decades with the growth of manufacturing centres in across Asia.