Spot on. Plus if we are looking to provide the most benefit to more people in our community manufacturing adds value in an economy up and down the supply chain and so leverages a flow on effect to spread prosperity around. More so, generally speaking, than say jobs in services. The Europeans have shown us that high value manufacturing can be done in higher labour cost countries. It's worth it. Up until March there was quite a bit of "reshoring' of manufacturing back to Aus from China and India. Advantages are seen in shorter logistics and the ability to innovate products faster - plus an honest assessment of the hidden costs of off-shoring manufacturing.
Perfect example: Evolve Group in Brisbane has re-shored many products and after only 2 weeks of preparation are well on the way to starting production of N95 masks, 60,000 a day, by the end of April. http://www.evolvegrp.com/news/