AUKUS Success
Published on 14 February 2024
AUKUS success
The AUKUS Forum in conjunction with Industry Capability Network- NSW recently partnered with Council to hold an information session at Charles Sturt University.
The successful event was attended by a variety of local and regional businesses, interested in understanding the AUKUS opportunity for regional businesses to work with the Defence industry, and how it presents significant new market opportunities for manufacturers, innovators, and thought leaders in the coming years.
The AUKUS trilateral security pact is more than the building of submarines, it’s the opportunity for industry, academia, researchers, and governments to cooperate on Information sharing, advanced cyber, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, autonomy and so much more.
Mayor Jess Jennings said the submarine project with AUKUS thrusts Australia into a whole new world where innovation and technology rule.
“The AUKUS Forum brought together industry, academia, researchers, government, and defence from the three member countries to provide valuable insights into the needs and aspirations of a diverse group united in a desire to make AUKUS work and identify the opportunities it presents”.
It will support the growth of businesses big and small and according to AUKUS Forum Director, Michael Sharpe “Can help boost jobs, the economy and manufacturing, by providing companies, many of them family-run, with the ability to diversify and expand into new markets”.
The event hosted a list of impressive speakers, including former Minister of Defence the Hon Joel Fitzgibbon, Lt Colonel Jasmin Diab CSC, a nuclear engineer, Amber Marks from CSU, Daniel Munro, Managing Director, IBM Technology - Defence, and Jason Legge from Fujitsu Australia. The day covered a range of interesting topics, Australia's opportunity to contribute to the fuel cycle, artificial intelligence as a force enabler, multiplier, and disruptor, and how companies such as Fujitsu are assisting the ADF to deliver data, extend its capability functionality, and increase agility across land, air, sea, cyber, and information.
Jonathan Baker, Business Development Manager with Lite Corp Industries in Lithgow, said he found the day “very informative and appreciated the effort that Bathurst Council went to in hosting the day. “We’re a small family-run manufacturer and events such as these help us understand opportunities for businesses such as ours and its great networking opportunity”. Mr Baker said that while nothing specific has arisen from the day yet, he was looking forward to following up and making the most of the connections made on the day. He encouraged other local businesses to attend similar forums in the future.
ENDS