Temporal ripples- Automotive industry influence on contemporary Australian design practice

For close to a century the automotive sector has had a defining economic, social, political, and vocational influence on Australian culture. Since 2008, international automotive brands have systematically announced a winding down of their local manufacturing operations. By 2017, the current players will cease to make cars in Australia. Reasons cited for this exit are wide and varied. Much has been made of the national impact of such decisions to cease manufacturing. However little reflection has been made on the impact this Australian industrial period has had on other design roles. Moreover, the influence the automotive sector may have on broader design practice has not been explored. This paper develops new insights through such a reflection. A number of leading stakeholders in contemporary Australian design practice were interviewed. They were based both locally and internationally. At some time, interviewees worked in design or engineering for automobiles developed in Australia. The current design roles of interviewees are now wide and varied, spanning a range of products and services. Firstly, this paper contributes a qualitative analysis through participant reflection, as to the key skills they developed in Australian automotive industry. Participant insights shift then to broader design practice, and where the Australian automotive sector may have played a part in designers transitioning into other industries. By connecting reflections of the past skill development to current design roles, this paper begins a discourse in the value that the Australian automotive industry holds for design practice now. It also paves a path for research into how this value may continue to contribute in the future.