The $25 million purpose-built facility will produce alcohol-based hand rubs and over-the-counter medicines for hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. It is designed to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards and is the only therapeutic plant in NSW to meet modern fire safety and engineering compliance benchmarks.
Opened by Whiteley executive chairman Dr Greg Whiteley and NSW Member for Port Stephens, the Hon. Kate Washington MP, the plant is expected to create 30 new jobs across research, manufacturing, compliance and operations.
“This facility is a long-term investment in Australian science, Australian jobs and Australian manufacturing,” Dr Whiteley says. “It levels the playing field in a sector long dominated by multinationals and puts the Hunter region at the centre of therapeutic manufacturing in Australia.”
Whiteley is Australia’s largest manufacturer of hospital-grade disinfectants and infection prevention products. Operating in Tomago since 1995, the family-owned business now exports to more than 35 countries and employs over 70 staff across Australia and New Zealand. In 2024, the company won NSW Business of the Year, Hunter Business of the Year and the Excellence in International Business Award.
The new facility follows Whiteley’s recent achievement of MDSAP certification, enabling the export of medical devices from Tomago to the USA and Canada. It will also support collaborative research with leading universities, including the University of Newcastle, the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and biofilm-related infections.
NSW MP Kate Washington praised the expansion, calling Whiteley “an award-winning local manufacturer that’s strengthened Port Stephens’ position as a manufacturing powerhouse.”
With a 50-year design life, no on-site discharge and advanced containment systems, the new plant also reflects Whiteley’s long-term environmental commitment. “We’re proud to be turning Australian research into real-world therapeutic products made in the Hunter to serve the healthcare system long into the future,” said Dr Whiteley.
