Much-needed jobs just around the corner

The arrival of this new combat vehicle signals the start of a new jobs and investment boom for Queensland’s high-tech manufacturing sector.

WITH the first combat vehicle built under the Australian Defence Force’s Land 400 phase 2 program to be unveiled today, this is a welcome boost to jobs and investment in Queensland.

It should be seen as a vote of confidence in the state’s high tech manufacturing sector, which is on the cusp of a resurgence as the $5 billion contract ramps up in the state.

The Rheinmetall Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle is the first to be built under the Land 400 contract that will be based in Queensland.

It’s a victory for the long-running campaign by the Courier Mail and “Team Queensland” federal and state LNP MPs, who all lobbied Defence in the lead up to the fierce inter-state contest over the location.

While this vehicle was assembled in Germany, it will help Rheinmetall’s Ipswich based factory to get up to speed with the design as it prepares to move into full scale production.

The contract win positions Queensland to tap into a lucrative market for the manufacture of highly-specialised military equipment.

It is also a rebuff to the naysayers who suggest Australia’s manufacturing sector is dying.

If we can foster niche manufacturing industries, this will set up a pipeline of work that will create opportunities for other businesses.

The first Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle arrives in Brisbane.

That means a stream of much-needed jobs, particularly in parts of the state that have higher levels of unemployment.

Seven new small businesses around Australia will also be today announced to have received work as part of the project. These include Brisbane-based Frontline Manufacturing, which has a contract to supply prototype bracketry and Rockpress, which will supply mine blast protection plates.

So far, 12 small businesses have won contracts to provide parts to supply the Rheinmetall factory.

In a sign of the potential for flow-on benefits from this massive project, the global defence industry giant was just last week named as one of two final contenders for the phase 3 of the Land 400 project.

That next phase, which will build replacements to the ADF’s M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers, is three times the size of the current project.

Team Queensland will have to get behind Rheinmetall’s Sunshine State bid, which is vying for the $15 billion of work against a Victorian-based contender Hanwha Defense Australia.

That project will be finalised in 2022 after substantial testing and could be followed by further other military construction projects including to meet the demand of countries such as Singapore, which is already committed to a $2 billion army training base at Shoalwater Bay and Townsville.

The Rheinmetall factory under construction at Redbank.

The Land 400 project has the potential to be a game-changer for the state as it helps foster a burgeoning defence and aerospace industry.

The long-term nature of major defence contracts ensures this will not just be a sugar hit for regions like Ipswich but will provide decades of work.

With major defence hubs in Brisbane and Townsville as well as coastline that was used for the Operation Talisman Sabre training exercises with the United States, New Zealand and others, Queensland is already known in some circles as the Khaki State.

The scale of the Land 400 project will just add to the state’s growing reputation as a centre of military excellence.

SWEET WARNING WELCOME

RESEARCH showing one in six Australian teenagers consume more than 5kg of sugar each year from sugary drinks alone is a stark reminder of the need to watch what we eat and drink.

The shocking statistic points to a larger problem with sugar consumption – that it can be difficult to know how much sugar is in many types of food and beverage. It is up to all consumers to check the labels on supermarket items to keep track of what they are putting into their bodies.

This can be tough for busy parents who struggle to keep fussy eaters happy, or for those of us with “sweet tooths”.

But the increasing incidence of obesity and lifestyle-related disorders such as type-2 diabetes shows the risks.

With many of us living sedentary lifestyles, it is important to have a healthy diet and to do regular exercise. At the very least, we should limit intake of sugary items such as soft drink and cordial.

It is worth remembering items that are marketed as healthy may not always be so. Sports drinks, for example, are classified as sugary because they have kilojoules with no nutritional value.

The Cancer Council should be commended for highlighting the dangers of too much sugar.