The growing scale of Western Australia’s $400 million defence sector has been recognised with the establishment of a local chapter of the Australian Society for Defence Engineering.
The society represents professionals from prominent defence supply companies, agencies and peak bodies.
Senior industry officials from Raytheon, Austal, Australian Submarine Corporation, Australian Marine Complex, Defence Materiel Organisation, and the Australian Industry Defence Network attended the launch at Henderson.
ASDE national deputy chairman Denton Bocking said the formation of the WA chapter reflected the enormous growth of industry activity in WA over recent years.
“We estimate that about 2,500 people are now employed in defence industry in WA, with an annual value of work of about $400 million,” he said
“Many of these are engineers and technologists directly involved in defence engineering in specialist fields such as communications, weapons and ship systems, underwater acoustics and aircraft maintenance.
“In addition, there are several thousand personnel employed by the Australian Defence Force and the DMO at establishments such as HMAS Stirling, RAAF Base Pearce, and Irwin and Campbell Barracks.
“Major activities include sustainment of the ANZAC Frigates and Collins Class submarines, support of PC-9/A and Hawk trainer aircraft, torpedo maintenance, and submarine escape training.”
At the launch, the head of the Royal Australian Navy’s Future Submarines Program, rear admiral Rowan Moffitt, emphasised the potential benefits of the program for WA’s defence sector.
“Strategically WA is the right place to be, there is no question about it,” Admiral Moffitt said.
“The defence presence in WA has grown enormously in the last 20 years. WA has a crucial role in the RAN’s submarine program and the prospects of continual growth in Henderson are quite stunning.”
ASDE is a technical society governed and managed by Engineers Australia, the body that covers professional engineers, technologists and associates.
However, members are not obliged to have an affiliation with Engineers Australia. ASDE membership is open to anyone who has an interest in defence engineering.
Most members are engineers and technologists from the ADF, the DMO and defence industry.
The society aims to provide a forum for the exchange of information on defence engineering, to be the pre-eminent learned society covering all aspects of defence engineering, and to inform members on developments in defence materiel and major engineering works within the ADF and other armed forces.
