Victoria is joining in the defence industry boom after signing new agreements with two global defence companies earlier this week.
The state’s Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Minister Colin Brooks visited the 2025 Indo-Pacific (INDOPAC) international defence expo in Sydney this week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce.
The deal is about skills training and contracts for Victorian companies as part of a supply chain.
Rolls-Royce have built nuclear reactors for UK submarines for more than 65 years and is expanding its Derby facility in England to meet UK and Australian needs, a statement from the Victorian government says.
It claims Rolls-Royce is the only company in the world that can design, manage, manufacture and decommission reactors.
As part of the AUKUS Pillar 1 agreement, Rolls-Royce will provide the nuclear reactors for submarines which Australia is to build.
“This agreement with Rolls-Royce will help us support our defence sector and the 29,000 jobs it backs,” Brooks says.
“This partnership capitalises on Victoria’s strengths as a knowledge powerhouse and will drive further investment in our state.”
Rolls-Royce Submarines president Steve Carlier claims the deal “will bring together” Victorian research and innovation capabilities with their established nuclear expertise to help Australia build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
“This agreement allows us to support Australia in establishing a sustainable supply chain in-country while developing home-grown nuclear talent and well-paid careers for Australian people,” he says.
VICTORIA’S OTHER DEAL
Also at INDOPAC, Brooks signed a MoU with H&B Defence, a joint venture between US naval ship builder Huntington Ingalls Industries and British defence engineering company Babcock International Group.
H&B Defence will help Victorian businesses find global markets as well as help them attract new defence investment.
The MoU will also target greater defence skills training for local businesses so they comply with US and UK shipbuilding standards and are able to compete for supply contracts.
Brooks says the deal with H&B Defence means they can draw on the expertise of the two companies that form the joint venture.
H&B Defence Managing Director Tim Brown says they are looking forward to helping the state “further position” its workforce and supply chain to win global defence manufacturing business.
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