WITH Williamtown Airport serving as a base for the RAAF, Port Stephens is about to see a boost in businesses serving defence working in the region.

The Morrison Government is demonstrating its commitment to supporting the growth of one of Australia’s most important industries by launching a major campaign today highlighting a generation of jobs in Australia’s defence industries.

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The ‘In our own backyard’ campaign will begin on television, radio and across social media over the coming days and weeks.

We have certainly seen the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribute here ‘in our own backyard’ in recent times.

It was the ADF that assisted during the Black Summer Bushfires, in nursing homes and beside the Police throughout COVID, and now again they are rolling their sleeves up to help our most vulnerable during the floods.

But the ADF can’t do what they do without the support of the many businesses that supply them with products and services.

The campaign highlights that the skills Australians have displayed for generations building ‘stuff’ in their backyards are now in great demand to fill the jobs in our growing defence industries, which supply the ADF with the products and services it needs to protect Australia and its national interests.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Australia’s defence capability required robust, resilient and internationally competitive defence industries.

“We must be able to build what we need at home to defend ourselves when we need it and the COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on just how critical that is,” Minister Price said.

“The Morrison Government is investing an unprecedented $270 billion in Defence capabilities over the next ten years.

“The level of Government investment in our defence industries has grown significantly and as a result the number of jobs created to support this growth is increasing at a rapid rate.

“Our significant investment is reliant on us supporting the growth of strong, robust, and skilled Australian defence industries.

“Our nationwide investments in naval shipbuilding alone will create 15,000 jobs across the country by the end of the decade.

“We want Australians to understand that there are and will continue to be incredible opportunities for skilled people within our defence industries and that will continue for many years to come.”

Minister Price said Australia’s many defence industries had been built on Australian creativity and ingenuity and those skills were critical as the nation sought to stay a step ahead of adversaries who would seek to do us harm in a deteriorating strategic environment.

“During the next decade and beyond, this exciting and expanding sector will rely upon a workforce with skills in design, engineering, manufacturing, project management and logistics, as well as all aspects of support services from training and simulation to ICT support,” Minister Price said.

“That is the focus of our new campaign.

“From large multi-national companies to medium and small Aussie businesses, the creativity and ingenuity on display right across Australia points to the fact that there are many opportunities for skilled Australians to find fulfilling, well-paid jobs.

“We must ensure we have the most cutting-edge technology available to the men and women of the ADF.”

Minister Price said she was excited to promote the career opportunities in the new campaign, which would build awareness of the extensive opportunities across a range of sectors that contribute to Australia’s defence capability.

“There will be fantastic opportunities for workers across Australia over the coming decades and we must ensure we harness the skills we have in our own backyard to fill the jobs in our growing and important defence industries,” Minister Price said.

By Marian SAMPSON