Australian sovereign manufacturing development

Australia is advancing initiatives to strengthen its sovereign manufacturing capabilities, particularly within the defence and maritime sectors.

In Western Australia, the state government has identified five preferred proponents—Babcock Australasia, OQ Technology and AROSE, Thales Australia, NIOA, and Honeywell—for the Western Defence Forge. This proposed manufacturing hub aims to support global rearmament and allied supply chains, specifically targeting opportunities linked to the AUKUS program and guided weapons and explosive ordnance (GWEO). Thales Australia intends to use the facility for missile assembly and the production of 155mm artillery munitions.

To bolster naval shipbuilding, Austal will receive $245 million from the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund to construct and fit out new manufacturing facilities at the Australian Marine Complete in Western Australia. This investment is expected to create hundreds of jobs within the Henderson Defence Precinct.

Efforts to advance additive manufacturing are also expanding. A $2.7 million industry-led consortium, including Stärke-AMG, Flinders University, Adelaide University, and Metal Powder Works, is working to transition metal additive manufacturing from prototyping to industrial-scale production. Stärke-AMG CEO Al Jawhari noted the project focuses on “qualified production” to ensure the repeatability and traceability required by regulated industries. Additionally, Weld Australia has joined the $57.5 million Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) as an Associate Partner, aiming to integrate welding expertise with technologies like wire arc additive manufacturing for safety-critical production in the defence, maritime, infrastructure, and energy sectors.