NQ Spark: First defence-industry hub launches in Townsville, North Queensland

Northern Australia’s first defence-industry hub has sparked into life in Townsville.

Australian Defence Force personnel in action during military exercises in North Queensland. Photograph: Cameron Bates

Northern Australia’s first defence-industry hub — expected to cost in excess of $30m — has opened an interim facility in Townsville and completed its first series of experiments with James Cook University.

North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ Spark) has begun operating at a Townsville City Council-provided facility at Condon and signed an “essential” memorandum of understanding to work with Cubic Defence Australia.

“As a new company, we have to get ourselves off the ground,” said Lieutenant General (ret.) John Caligari, chair of NQ Spark.

“To know that we’ve already got a business such as Cubic, with a proven track record in simulation and training, and working closely with Defence in particular, is fundamental.”

NQ Spark will focus on developing Australian defence and research capabilities to create an “advanced environmental simulation facility and technology-orientated collaborative precinct”.

Mark Horn, senior director strategic development at North Queensland-based Cubic, and Lieutenant General (ret.) John Caligari, chair of NQ Spark, celebrate the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two organisations in Townsville. Picture: Supplied

To be built on 13,400 square metres of commercial industry space in Douglas, NQ Spark is being developed with support from TCC, JCU, Townsville Hospital and Health Service and the Queensland Government.

Mark Horn, senior director strategic development at North Queensland-based Cubic, said it wanted to further the defence workforce in the region, including in the academic sector.

“The North Queensland Simulation Park is going to be leading edge in terms of its technology delivery,” he said.

“It exploits a unique geographical location in North Queensland, where tropical science is inherent, where there are great military training areas and the front end of the Australian Defence Force is heavily concentrated.”

Mark Horn, senior director strategic development at North Queensland-based Cubic, Lieutenant General (ret.) John Caligari, chair of NQ Spark, and NQ Spark executive director and JCU Professor Mick Reilly. Picture: Supplied

NQ Spark executive director and JCU Professor Mick Reilly said Cubic supported the first simulation conducted at the interim facility, which involved a disaster response command and control scenario.

“We also had trained observers working here from Defence Science and Technology Group with JCU students,” he said.

“People wore heart-rate monitors, they wore eye-tracking glasses, just seeing how people operate in that space as a way to educate us to help teams get better dealing with crises here in the North.”

Students and observers in action during the first experiment undertaken at North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ Spark’s) interim facility at Condon, Townsville. Picture: Supplied

Dr Reilly said the simulation and training would inform the design and construction of the permanent facility on land adjoining Lavarack Barracks, JCU and Townsville University Hospital.

“We have the chance here in this facility to undertake numerous experiments while exploring options for when we build Spark so we know what works.”

The federal government has committed $32.2 million towards NQ Spark, with construction expected to take a couple of years.

“We’ll have industry buildings, Cubic as our anchor tenant, and an advanced environmental facility that will allow us to undertake a range of training, education, research, and test and evaluation underpinned by high performance computers to help understand the data and to provide visualisations that support that,” Dr Reilly said.

He said it would be a game-changer for North Queensland, “particularly some of our younger students who gain a STEM education but find after a period that they need to leave the region to continue a career”.

“If we get this ball rolling and activate industry in Townsville to understand what it can use simulation for, we can keep a lot more of our young people here.”

Originally published as NQ Spark: First defence-industry hub launches in Townsville, North Queensland