Aust + NZ Defence Directory 2021-22

AUSTRALIAN + NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE DIRECTORY 2021/22 INDUSTRY GROUPS, ASSOCIATIONS & GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS MINISTER AL FOREWORD - DEFENCE INDUSTRY

T he COVID-19 pandemic has presented Australian businesses with unprec- edented challenges, which they have worked hard to overcome. Our defence industry has shown how flexible it can be, growing and adapting practices to keep pace with rapid changes in an uncertain strategic and business environ- ment. As a Government, we have done our part, providing clear and consistent advice to help industry take advantage of, and generate, new opportunities. We have shown our commitment to Australian industry, increasing our defence indus- try capabilities, keeping Australians in jobs and keeping small businesses across the country operating. Australia faces major strategic challenges, and we cannot take our traditional capa- bility edge for granted. Further, the pandemic has highlighted vulnerabilities in our supply chains, which can impact on our ability to deliver and maintain our warfight- ing capabilities. To increase our self-reliance and meet these challenges, we must increase our industrial sovereignty in critical areas, like the Sovereign Industrial Ca- pability Priorities. Delivering the industrial sovereignty we need is a national endeavour. Key initiatives, such as the Modern Manufacturing Strategy, are part of a whole-of-government effort to increase scale, competitiveness, and resilience of our sovereign manu- facturing capabilities. I am also committed to increasing investment in Defence’s capabilities in new and existing areas. This includes munitions capabilities, where we will deliver a sovereign guided weapons enterprise, and space and intelligence, supported by an enhanced communications network. These initiatives will boost skilled jobs and help secure Australia’s defence capabilities. A robust, resilient and internationally competitive defence industry is crucial for our

international relationships and regional stability. Australian defence exports help build strong partnerships with our key strategic partners, and enhance our ability to shape and support prosperity in the region. A strong sovereign defence industrial base also serves to deter those who seek to act against Australia’s national interests. I am committed to maximising opportunities for Australian businesses and making it easier for Australian businesses to work with Defence and inte- grate themselves into global supply chains. To achieve this, we are placing small businesses front and centre of Defence decision-making through a tailored approach which cuts red-tape. Industry needs to play its part as well. To take advantage of the opportunities we are creating, we need businesses to be ‘Defence-ready’. This may seem like a daunting prospect for smaller businesses, but support is available. Our goal is to build genuine partnerships between Defence and industry – critical to ensuring our industrial base effectively supports the defence of Australia and our national interests. One initiative which will be invaluable in giving Defence staff hands-on experience in Australia’s defence industry is the Defence Industry Second- ment Program. The program’s goal is to better inform and strengthen the vital partnerships between Defence and industry to deliver what the ADF needs, when it needs it. This is a truly national program that backs Australian business by developing the commercial understanding of Defence staff. We are matching secondees in each state and territory to industry hosts based on skills and location. This will facilitate a better understanding of the daily pressures Australian businesses face, and broaden the commercial skills of our people. Additional placements will be arranged to meet as much industry demand as possible. I am confident that through this initiative, Defence can become a stronger and better informed client for industry. Closer industrial engagement between Australia and New Zealand is in our mutual interest, and we can work together to improve the resilience of our supply chains. Building Australia and New Zealand’s sovereign industrial bases remains important as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We have agreements in place that create and maintain a single ANZ government procurement market, which provides many opportunities for Aus- tralian and New Zealand businesses to work together. I would like to thank the publishers of the Australia + New Zealand Defence Directory for their ongoing support and work to continue strengthening the bond between Australia and New Zealand.

THE HON MELISSA PRICE MP Minister for Defence Industry

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