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Western Australia Premier Roger Cook and WA Minister for Defence Industry Paul Papalia CSC have formally launched the WA state government’s long-awaited Defence and Defence Industry Strategy 2025 to boost local jobs growth and enhance the state’s position as a defence industry hub.
The Cook Labor government has unveiled its Defence and Defence Industry Strategy 2025, an ambitious plan aimed at driving local jobs and strengthening Western Australia’s role in the national defence sector.
The WA government has made significant strides by establishing the defence industry portfolio, creating Defence West, appointing a senior retired military officer as a defence advocate, and releasing the first Defence and Defence Industry Strategy in 2018.
Premier Cook said, “WA’s defence industry continues to go from success to success, and through the new Defence and Defence Industry Strategy we aim to grow the sector’s presence and create more jobs for Western Australians.”
These efforts have firmly positioned Western Australia as a key player in Australia’s sovereign defence capability, ensuring the state’s strategic importance continues to grow. At the core of this, the Defence and Defence Industry Strategy 2025 also outlined six key pillars in partnership with the Commonwealth, the Department of Defence and the defence industry:
- Workforce
- Infrastructure
- Industry
- Community
- Research and innovation
- Veterans
Premier Cook added, “Our state is set to become home to the largest naval shipbuilding and sustainment location in the southern hemisphere, and we will need thousands of skilled workers to support its operations.”
The updated 2025 strategy sets out a long-term vision for WA’s defence and industry landscape through to 2040, with a strong focus on Western Australia’s critical role in homeporting Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
“The industry has already seen more than 1,000 jobs created in Western Australia since AUKUS came into effect, and through this strategy we aim to grow that figure to 10,000,” Premier Cook said.
Minister Papalia expanded on the comments made by Premier Cook, stating, “The release today of the Defence Industry Strategy is an enormously significant outcome for the state’s defence industry. I have advocated tirelessly for Western Australia to get a greater share of the shipbuilding and submarine sustainment work.”
Recognising the growth path of the defence industry in the state, the WA government’s strategy identifies a number of key objectives to deliver by 2040, including:
- Be the homeport and sustainment location for Australia’s conventionally armed, nuclear-powered sovereign submarines delivered under AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) Pillar 1 and continue to homeport and sustain Collins Class conventional submarines through to retirement.
- Continue to host Australia’s largest operational naval base and provide sustainment for the Navy’s surface fleet, including the new Hunter Class and general-purpose frigates, and deliver highly capable maritime capabilities to the Navy and Army in support of the Australian government’s continuous naval shipbuilding enterprise.
- Be established as a vital contributor to the nation’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance production capability, including substantial weapons and ordnance stockpile sites.
- Host robust and resilient defence capabilities in northern WA, aligned to the Australian government’s defence priorities.
Minister Papalia added, “As a result of the advocacy, the state succeeded in both securing depot-level sustainment of nuclear-powered submarines, alongside a continuous naval shipbuilding guarantee from the Commonwealth. These successes will allow us to build a globally significant defence industry that will provide high-paying jobs to Western Australia’s young people for generations to come.”
It is anticipated that these central pillars, combined with the priority objectives, will steer the state towards achieving each of the 2040 outcomes.
The Western Australian government is committed to contributing meaningfully to the nation’s defence priorities and needs as well as advancing the state’s defence industry while ensuring significant benefits for local industries and communities, including veterans.
The full Defence and Defence Industry Strategy 2025 is available here.
