Defence West
Overview
Defence West sits within the WA Government’s Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science & Innovation and was set up to grow the defence industry in the State across five operational areas; information and cyber, maritime, air, space, and land.
Contact Information
Level 11, 1 William St
Perth
WA
Australia - 6000
Phone : + 61 8 6277 3000
Fax :
Mail : [email protected]
Website : https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-jobs-tourism-science-and-innovation/defence-west
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Description
Western Australia is the only state that faces the Indian Ocean, putting us in a unique geographical and strategic position when compared to other Australian States.
Western Australia has grown to become Australia’s economic powerhouse by being the home of the nation’s mining industry and generating nearly half of the nation’s exports.
However, the Western Australian story has always been much more than its resources.
An industry growing in importance for Western Australia is the Defence and Defence industry sector, identified by the WA government as a key growth industry for the State.
Following the release of the Defence and Defence Industries Strategic Plan in 2018, the Western Australian Government established Defence West within the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation with the priority objective of championing the Western Australian defence industry and promoting related business development, jobs, and trade and investment opportunities within the sector.
Western Australia has traditionally been the home state to Australia’s submarine fleet. As the future home for the AUKUS SSN submarine fleet along with the Submarine Rotational Forces-West, Western Australia’s footprint in the Defence sector is set to grow.
According to conservative estimates, Defence and Defence-related activities contribute about $3 billion a year to the Western Australian Gross State Product.
One of the defence related policy objectives of the Western Australian Government is to double this figure to $6 billion by the end of this decade.
Given the State’s geographical position, it is not surprising that Naval Vessel sustainment and construction has been identified as a priority sector.
Defence and Defence-related SMEs employ approximately 2,500 people in Western Australia across 250 businesses and contractors.
It is estimated that the state’s role as the home of the AUKUS submarine fleet could generate up to 6000 jobs in the State.
Western Australia is well positioned to provide the additional skilled workforce needed, because its institutions, both South Metropolitan TAFE and world-class universities, provide world-leading defence courses, degrees and training.
Key Personnel
JTSI Deputy Director General, Industry Science and Innovation: Linda Dawson
