And finally, we're starting to see some heroes emerge, and proof that the kind of "21st century manufacturing" we're talking about is absolutely possible in Australia. Take Atlassian. It's a 1100-person Sydney-based multinational heading towards a multibillion-dollar sharemarket listing. Atlassian makes software to help other software developers build and manage their own projects and counts NASA as a customer. Atlassian is effectively the modern-day equivalent of manufacturers of shovels and picks for coal miners – playing its part in a booming ecosystem.

But to have many more Atlassians and Cochlears, we need to fundamentally rethink our old attitudes to skills and innovation. Right now, our young people are avid consumers of consumer technology, but we're badly equipped to be the creators of it. Computer science graduates make up a dismal 2 per cent of all domestic graduates each year, while graduates in the broader fields of science, technology, engineering and maths are one-third lower than in our international counterparts. The focus on STEM by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and the government's own policies on innovation, are welcome developments. The idea that computers and technology should be taught in every primary and secondary school is long overdue if we're to make sure our children have the skills for tomorrow's jobs.

Having a highly educated workforce will also attract global companies to invest in our country, further expanding opportunities for smart jobs of the future. Google Australia alone has a workforce of 1200, half of whom are highly skilled engineers. Over the past five years, we've invested more than $1 billion in jobs and operations.

An innovation mindset is also required to manufacture 21st century things. Staying relevant requires constant innovation for both countries and companies; it requires leaning into the changes and looking for the opportunities in it. Today, Australia's digital economy is growing twice as fast as the rest of the economy, and it could be worth $139 billion by 2020. But we risk slipping in the global rankings if we continue to treat it as an "add-on". We need to make innovation part of everything we do – every business that we run, every start-up that we launch – to take advantage of the technology dividend and equip ourselves for the future.

When I was growing up, it felt like there was an Aussie manufacturer in practically every suburb. Wouldn't it be amazing if in the decades to come, each city had an Atlassian, a Tesla, an iRobot, or a Google in it, as well has thousands of small and medium-sized tech businesses? I truly believe that, with the right attitude to skills and innovation, we can build on our proud history of invention and reinvention to transform into an economy of new, high-value jobs, and in doing so, build ourselves a bright new future.