The defence industry welcomes the announcement by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the 8th of March regarding the headquartering of the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC).
Chris Burns, national spokesperson for the Australian Made Defence campaign and Chief Executive for the Defence Teaming Centre in South Australia said industry was buoyed by the progress this announcement implies.
“Industry welcomes initiatives to promote synergy between industry and Defence. These strategies will help our nation towards building strong capabilities to make us globally competitive,” said Mr Burns.
“The Defence White Paper recognises that industry is a fundamental input to military capability, and calls for a stronger relationship between industry and Defence to deliver key outcomes for the Defence Force and the community.
“Today’s announcement and the CDIC are steps in the right direction toward this goal. However industry is still unclear about exactly how this centre will work and its overall impact on the sector – we need further detail.
“The CDIC outlined in the Defence White Paper and Defence Industry Policy Statement provides a pathway and framework for strong collaboration between key industry stakeholders, Defence and government. We now need to follow up with tangible actions that include industry in the planning and execution process of this new policy.
“Without a tangible plan with clear objectives, these are empty symbols that industry cannot take to the bank.
“A strong defence industry will not only provide the innovations and skills that will transfer successfully into other sectors, but it’ll also provide job security and certainty for thousands of Australians and businesses.
“Today’s announcement shows commitment to a strong future defence industry – but there’s still a long way to go.
“Industry is looking forward to receiving further detail, working with the Federal Government on this important initiative and is ready to be included as part the project,” said Mr Burns.
