Latest News from ADA-Vic

Hi there,

We know that all our members understand the workforce issues and shortages currently experienced by Australian businesses. Next week the Jobs and Skills Summit, which was announced by the federal government over two months ago, will bring together Australians, including unions, employers, civil society and governments, to address shared economic challenges.

The Summit and subsequent Employment White Paper will focus on:

keeping unemployment low, boosting productivity and incomes
delivering secure, well-paid jobs and strong, sustainable wages growth
expanding employment opportunities for all Australians including the most disadvantaged
addressing skills shortages and getting our skills mix right over the long term
improving migration settings to support higher productivity and wages
maximising jobs and opportunities from renewable energy, tackling climate change, the digital economy, the care economy and a Future Made in Australia
and ensuring women have equal opportunities and equal pay.

Led by the Prime Minister and Treasurer, and supported by other key ministers, the Summit will recommend immediate actions and opportunities for medium and long-term reform.

Although Summit attendance is limited and invitation only, Treasury will invite submissions and engage the wider community over the next 12 months.

Submissions to the White Paper will open later in 2022. We will keep our members informed.

Jobs + Skills Summit Issues Paper 17th August 2022

$4.35 Million Investment for Veteran-Owned South Australian Space Company

The Australian Government has signed a $4.35 million contract with veteran-owned South Australian company, Asension, to deliver a space-based tactical sensor system for use by Defence.

The contract, awarded through the Defence Innovation Hub, demonstrates the Government’s commitment to collaborating with defence industry and leveraging the ingenuity that resides across Australia to deliver a capability edge for Defence.

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, who visited Asension’s headquarters in Adelaide on Thursday 19 August 2022, said sovereign, space-enabled capabilities are critical to the future of Defence.

Request for Proposals - High Temperature Sub Assemblies Program: Submissions Due by 9 September

Please be aware of the following opportunity.

As flagged in their recent announcement about a new project with Quickstep, DMTC is now seeking innovative proposals supporting development of high temperature structures and sub-assemblies. In collaboration with, and funded by DSTG, the aim is to complement parallel efforts in the field and support the development of sovereign industrial capability with specific elements and sub-assembly knowledge that will be crucial in supporting the construction of full-scale hypersonic platforms. Australian industry, universities and research agencies have demonstrated an ability to design, fabricate and test individual components and materials associated with hypersonic platforms at laboratory scale (TRL 3 to 4). The logical next phase of developing a national capability is to collaborate to conduct applied research that supports the design, fabrication and testing of critical sub-assemblies at a representative scale (TRL 5 to 6).

This RFP closes on 9 September 2022, with successful funding applications to be announced thereafter. The initial requirement is for a one (1) page quad chart summary of the proposal only.

Further information, the documentation pack, and quad chart template for proposal preparation/submission are available from
https://dmtc.com.au/our-activities/air/high-temperature-sub-assemblies/

Regards,
Harry Baxter on behalf of the
DMTC High Temperature Sub-Assemblies Program Team

From Defence:  

The Commonwealth Government has announced details of the Defence Strategic Review, including the Terms of Reference and the independent leads who have been appointed to conduct the Review:

o former Minister for Defence, Professor Stephen Smith

o former Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal (Ret'd) Sir Angus Houston. See more here

Defence unveiled the ‘electric Bushmaster’, the electric Protected Military Vehicle (ePMV) at the Chief of Army Symposium, a three-day event bringing together Australian-led technology, industry partnerships and innovation. See more here.
Defence launched an advanced supercomputing capability at the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) site at the Edinburgh Defence Precinct in Edinburgh, South Australia. The capability will enable Defence scientists to analyse large data sets and rapidly perform complex calculations to tackle scientific and engineering problems. See more here.

Other News:   

Hanwha Defence Australia (Hanwha) hosted the Republic of Korea and Australian Defence Ministers alongside R&D partner Deakin University at their future ultramodern specialist armoured vehicle production facility at Avalon Airport. See more here.
A team of Swinburne University researchers has published the first detailed study of its kind on metal production on another planet, which includes developing a process that could take processed Martian air, dirt and sunlight to create metallic iron. See more here.
A group of six young Australians leading their fields in the domestic space industry, including two students from Monash University, have won scholarships to attend two prestigious space conferences in Paris later this year. See more here.
Environmental data provider, Spire is set to open an office in Melbourne within months. See more here.

Defence has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to industry on interest in and ability to provide ongoing support to all or part of the RAN’s mine countermeasures (MCM) systems. See more here.
Team Defence Australia (TDA) invite Expressions of Interest to participate in the Australian industry delegation to Indo Defence 2022 held at Jakarta, Indonesia from 02 – 05 November 2022. See more here.
The 2022 Army Research Scheme is now open until Thursday 25th August 2022 and can be accessed through AusTender. Interested parties are to submit an Expression of Interest as per the Response template. See more here.
Applications for the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering’s Elevate: Boosting women in STEM scholarships are open from Friday 29 July 2022. See more here.
DSTG is looking to make direct contact with appropriate leadership in Humanities and Social Science focused faculties to gauge interest in working with them to better understand extant capabilities in analyzing Socio-Technical Futures. See more here.
Former Defence officials map path for Australia’s first climate-security risk assessment which incorporates an existential risk management framework combined with a climate scenario-based approach, something not previously carried out in Australia. See more here.
Expressions of Interest are now open for defence, industry, start-ups and Publicly Funded Research Organisations (PFRO) to take part in the Land Forces Pitchfest. Applications close Wednesday 31 August 2022. See more here.

Attached is an ADM’s list of Defence tenders. 
Attached is the TDA information for companies.

Victorian Common User Facility  

If industry requires access to secure communications facilities to engage with Defence, this can be provided through the Victorian Common User Facility.

  
Defence Industry Support Tools 

The Office of Defence Industry Support has several tools to support defence SMEs. The Defence Business Readiness Tool, the Digital Readiness Assessment Tool, and the Cyber Security Assessment Tool.

Upcoming Domestic Events:  

Reoccurring 2022 - Soldier On Coffee Catch Up Victoria. See more here.
25 - 26 August 2022 – Indian Ocean Defence & Security conference. See more here.

3 September 2022 - Defence Reserves Association National Conference 2022. See more here.
15 September 2022 – Australian Defence Industry Awards. See more here.
15 - 18 September 2022 - Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine Annual Conference. See more here.
4 - 6 October 2022 – Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition. See more here. 
12 - 13 October 2022 – AOC 2022 Convention. See more here.

25 - 26 October 2022 - Defence Export Controls & ITARS Outreach Program. See more here.
7 - 9 November 2022 - SIA 11th Biennial Conference 2022. See more here.
9 November 2022 – ADM Defence Skilling Summit. See more here.
11 - 17 November 2022 – Maritime RobotX Challenge. See more here.  
1 December 2022 – ADM Space Summit. See more here.

28 February - 5 March 2023 – The AVALON Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition. See more here.

Links to Grant and other Programs:  

Jobs Victoria Fund  
Victorian Digital Jobs Program  
Office of Defence Industry Support  
Defence Science Institute  
Defence Innovation Partnership’s Collaborative Research Fund

Please Note: This update is produced every two weeks by the Defence and Aerospace, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. The date of this update was 11th August 2022.

In partnership with the Victorian State Government, Lockheed Martin Australia manages a secure facility designed to enable Victoria’s innovation community to better engage with classified Defence and National Security programs. The first facility of its type in Australia, the Victorian Common User Facility is a key initiative in creating new business opportunities for Victoria’s innovation sector.

For more information or to make CUF bookings, please email viccufbookings.gr-eo@lmco.com

Australian Defence Export Office Pitch Training Program

The ADEO, in partnership with Marketing Entourage, have created a five week online pitch training program specifically for businesses looking to export defence and dual use goods and services. This training is fully subsidised for Australian Defence Industry businesses.

The program is specifically designed to improve the chances of success for Australian defence industry companies when engaging with opportunities to pitch their capabilities to foreign military and military suppliers. The training is delivered through a series of webinars, online modules and one-to-one pitch practice sessions.

Australian Defence Industry businesses are encouraged to apply by registering their interest at the link below. Multiple people from the same business can be included as a single application. Limited spaces are available on each cohort and the ADEO will prioritise businesses who have recently participated in an industry delegation with TDA.

Click here to learn more about the Online Pitch Training Program and to register your interest.

In 2022, Human Performance Week brings together two events:

The Defence Human Sciences Symposium (DHSS), the principal Australian forum for those interested in the application of human sciences research to enhance Defence capability, an

The Human Performance Research Network Symposium (HPRnet). HPRnet is an established network of universities that draws together multidisciplinary teams from around the country who are co-invested in the delivery of significant outcomes for Defence. The symposium brings together existing network members and those with an interest in human performance to hear about the latest developments in human performance research for the military.