AmCham Australia

In recognition of the enormity of the landmark Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement between the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia and Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia, Western Australia’s Minister for Defence Industries The Hon Paul Papalia CSC MLA and Austal’s Chairman and 76th Secretary of the US Navy, The Hon Richard V Spencer came together in Perth’s iconic State Buildings this week. At an AmCham Australia lunch, Minister Papalia and Secretary Spencer sat down to unpack the implications for national security, local economy and workforce. In front of an audience filled with diplomatic corps, industry and government leaders, we discussed: 📌 How the agreement strengthens Australia’s sovereign naval capability 📌 The major shipbuilding expansion in the United States – and the importance of sustainment - which Secretary Spencer led during his tenure as US Secretary of the Navy during the first Trump Administration 📌 How Austal’s growth in WA will influence the broader economy beyond shipbuilding and sustainment, in areas like infrastructure, real estate and services   📌 The investment in infrastructure that will flow into Western Australia as a result of the agreement 📌 Workforce strategies, training and education initiatives to uplift capability 📌 How Australia’s world class capabilities in the resources sector can be transferred to the defence sector, and how Japan and Australia can support each other When it comes to AUKUS delivery, the urgency of pace was emphasised:  “Never before have we seen the stresses on national security being greater. We have to pick up the pace and it has to be done yesterday. These industries cannot be turned on a dime.” It was a privilege to be joined by executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japanese Consulate in Perth (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan), following the competitive selection of Japan’s Mogami class frigate as the Royal Australian Navy’s next major surface warship. We were honoured to partner with West Australia-headquartered Emergency Services provider Parabellum International, L3Harris Technologies, Austal and Defence West on this event and extend our deep thanks to each as well as to COMO The Treasury. The Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement will play a vital role in the establishment of a Commonwealth Defence Precinct at Henderson – underpinning tens of billions of dollars of investment in Defence capabilities in the West over the next two decades and supporting in the order of 10,000 high‑skilled jobs, according to Defence Australia.

West is Best 🇦🇺 when it comes to navigating the Future of Defence in the Indo Pacific. AmCham Australia was delighted to host a vibrant panel discussion at RSL WA with industry leaders Tim Brown AM (Managing Director of H&B Defence), Paddy Gregg (CEO of Austal) and Erich Hofmann (Managing Director of Hofmann Engineering Pty Ltd.) diving into conversation around workforce, collaboration and capability in defence. Western Australia was the largest submarine base in the Southern Hemisphere in WW2 - with 170 Allied submarines operating from Fremantle, WA was second only to Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Theatre. Yet the current scale and breadth of defence activity and planning in our state is unprecedented: 📌 Last week, the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia approved a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with WA-headquartered shipbuilder Austal, worth over A$1Bn. 📌 Major manufacturing continues at pace at Hofmann Engineering Pty Ltd, where local capability includes gear manufacturing, heavy machining, fabrication, design and site services to support defence and aerospace projects. 📌 HII-Babcock International Group's joint venture H&B Defence is busy at work on the AUKUS supply chain, accelerating development of Australia's critical sovereign capability. Amongst the key insights from yesterday's business lunch: 💡 The Australian Federal Government's agreements are “creating an industry, an environment, and facilities that can grow to meet the opportunities ahead of us. This is about cooperation, collaboration, supplier development, partnership – bringing a team together. The challenge we face is bigger than any one company. We really need to pull together.” 💡 "One of the things AUKUS is doing is connecting the US, the UK and Australia together like never before – and that’s at an industrial level – so (you should) see it as an industrial Alliance." 💡 "If we want to be a sea power - which we have to be - you need nuclear powered submarines and you can't have these unless you are an industrial power" It takes a special constellation of speakers and an expert moderator like Linda Dawson of Defence West to translate dense subject matter into memorable anecdotes that feature Uber Eats and Bunnings. Our deep appreciation to each of our fantastic speakers, our brilliant State Series Partners Curtin University and Parabellum International, and terrific Event Partners Tattarang and Defence West. Team WA, comprised of industry, government and not-for-profit partners, are proud to be driving defence conversations which are integral to our regional and global security.