Login
iscover
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has announced a $32.2 million agreement with North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ Spark) to deliver northern Australia’s first collaborative defence industry hub.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
North Queensland Simulation Park (NQ Spark) will be a newly developed simulation facility in Townsville, supported by the Townsville City Council, the Queensland government, and James Cook University.
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy welcomed this announcement, highlighting the local employment opportunities for the Townsville economy, saying, “Development of the NQ Spark facility is expected to generate up to 800 jobs and inject over $200 million into the local economy, which is a significant boost for the north Queensland community.”
The $32.2 million agreement will deliver a cutting-edge collaborative precinct providing simulation training opportunities for regional science and the defence, emergency response, health and knowledge sectors in Townsville to help support research and development.
“This is a unique integration of industry sectors such as health, emergency services and universities, with flow-on social and economic benefits to the broader community. This facility will bring these sectors together through defence industry, to deliver world-class simulation training,” Minister Conroy added.
This agreement delivers on an election commitment of the Albanese government and will provide economic and employment opportunities for northern Queensland, while investing in the future of Defence in Australia.
Assistant Minister for Defence Matt Thistlethwaite echoed the sentiment of Minister Conroy saying, “This first-of-its-kind development will support jobs and the economy in Townsville and northern Queensland and serve as a potential pathway to future employment for our veteran community and local Indigenous companies.”
The Department of Defence will work closely with NQ Spark throughout the planning and development stages to support the successful delivery of the facility.
