Australia's battery industry leaders to focus on leadership in critical minerals supply chain security, safety, skills and circular economy systems at Melbourne Summit
22 July 2026 Momentum is growing for the Australian Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit, where industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and technology innovators will converge in Melbourne to help shape a safer, smarter and more circular battery value chain.
The Summit is a practical working forum for organisations seeking insight, partnerships and solutions across the battery value chain.
Discussions will cover crucial minerals security, standards development, the skills needed to support industry growth and the journey to battery traceability and certification.
Hosted by the Association for the Battery Recycling Industry (ABRI), the Summit will be held on 17 September 2026 at RACV City Club in Melbourne, building on the success of three consecutive full house events in Sydney.
The one-day forum will connect 150 leaders from industry, government and research to focus on the practical actions needed to unlock Australia’s battery opportunity. With the battery materials recovery sector already contributing $2.1 billion to the national economy and supporting 19,450 jobs, the Summit will explore how coordinated action can help grow the industry to $6.9 billion and more than 34,600 jobs by 2050.
ABRI CEO Katharine Hole said Australia’s battery sector was moving quickly.
“The decisions made now will shape how safely and sustainably we collect, recycle and recover critical battery materials into the future,” she said.
“This Summit brings the right people into one room to share knowledge, understand policy and market signals, and build the partnerships needed to move from discussion to action.”
A key focus of the program will be the Best Practice & Future Systems session, which will explore how Australia can strengthen the systems that support battery safety, traceability and circular economy outcomes.
The session will examine the development of industry standards, the skills and training required to support sector growth, pathways to battery certification, and emerging approaches to tracking and tracing batteries to reduce risks, including battery fire incidents.
Speakers and contributors will include representatives from Powering Australia, Standards Australia, TAFE Queensland and CSIRO.
Ms Hole said the Summit would provide an important forum for industry and government to align on the practical actions needed to build national capability.
Highlights of the program also include a keynote address from Critical Minerals CRC CEO Neville Plint on the forces reshaping global and domestic metals and critical minerals markets, an industry panel examining the intersection of grid-scale batteries and circular economy principles, and technology showcases from Oscorp Energy on AI-powered battery sorting and Renewable Metals on a novel lithium battery refining process.
The full agenda and ticket information are available at www.australianbatterysummit.com.au