Australia sets target to join world’s top defence exporters

AUSTRALIA will set an ­ambitious goal to elevate its multibillion-dollar defence manufacturing industry into the world’s top 10 exporters within a decade.

PM Malcolm Turnbull will launch a strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defence exporters within the next decade. Picture: David Crosling

AUSTRALIA will set an ambitious goal to elevate its multi-billion defence manufacturing industry into the world’s top 10 exporters within a decade.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will on Monday unveil a landmark plan to create more jobs and investment in Australia’s defence sector by dramatically growing global defence exports over the next 10 years.

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The approach will likely produce a major boost to Victoria’s advanced manufacturing industry, which is already taking advantage of increased defence spending around the world.

Australian-made defence technology accounts for $1.5 bil­­lion to $2.5 billion ­annually, including: electronic equip­ment; military technology, parts and components; target acquisition, range finding, surveillance or tracking systems; and military software.

The Bendigo-made Hawkei could form one of Australia’s major defence exports. Picture: David Crosling

The strategy identifies the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand as high-priority markets, while the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East will also be targeted.

Exports within the Asia-Pacific region, in Europe and the Middle East will also be targeted under the strategy.

Mr Turnbull said it would complement the ­$200 billion investment in Australian Def­ence Force capability and continue the government’s rec­ord job creation.

“A strong, exporting def­ence industry in Australia will provide greater certainty of ­investment, support high-end manufacturing jobs and support the capability of the Australian Defence Force,” he said.

“Australia has so many defence industry success stories: Thales’ Bushmaster, Hawkei and sonars, Austal’s ships and engineering and CEA’s world beating radar, among others.”

PM Malcolm Turnbull will launch a strategy to make Australia one of the top ten global defence exporters within the next decade. Picture: David Crosling

The Herald Sun last year ­rev­ealed Bendigo’s Thales Aus­tralia was discussing the cons­truction of up to 700 Hawkei combat veh­icles for Poland.

Six Melbourne companies are also lobbying for lucrative US contracts in an attempt to grab a slice of Donald Trump’s $70 billion promise to “rebuild the depleted” US military.

Mr Turnbull, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo will unveil initiatives inc­luding a defence export office to work with Austrade and a $3.8 billion defence export fac­ility.

More than $20 million a year will go to strategic exp­ort campaigns, expan­ding the global supply chain, and grants for small and med­ium enterprises to compete ­internationally.

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