Latest News from ADA-Vic

Hi Juanita,

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and an annual reminder for all Australians to stay secure online. The overarching theme of this month is "Have you been hacked?". The Australian Cyber Security Centre has a lot of information and resources for individuals and business including a Cyber Security Assessment Tool for SMEs.

October is also, National Safe Work Month and an opportunity to build awareness of work health and safety, encourage discussion about safety at work and share best practice. Please see our timely announcement below regarding the launching of No Stress M8 - a free online wellbeing tool for leaders in Manufacturing.

Defence Projects Over Budget - Quality of Defence Spending a Priority for Government

The government is moving to rectify significant and systemic issues in the delivery of crucial Defence capabilities.

Data from the Australian National Audit Office and advice from Defence shows a series of major Defence projects – with approved budgets totalling more than $69 billion – are facing significant schedule delays and budget variations.

Of these projects, at least 28 are a combined 97 years behind schedule and at least 18 projects are running over budget and at least $6.5 billion of variations from the approved budgets identified.

These projects include:

$44 billion Hunter Class Frigate program – start of construction delayed by four years and a $15 billion increase in expected costs, hidden from the public by the Coalition government.
$1.4 billion C-27J Spartan Battlefield Airlifters – which were delivered four and a half years behind schedule and are unable to fly into battlefields.
$3.7 billion Offshore Patrol Vessel project – running one year behind schedule.
$356 million Evolved Cape Class patrol boats – running nearly a year late.
$970 million Battlefield Command System – three years behind schedule.
Several Defence Satellite Communications projects worth $906 million – running between two and four years behind schedule.

Collins Class Submarine Combat System Support to be Provided by Raytheon Australia

The Australian Government has signed a five-year contract with Raytheon Australia Pty Ltd to continue to invest in the capability of the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of Collins class submarines.

The $322 million contract will provide in-service support for the Collins class submarine combat system during Australia’s transition to nuclear-powered submarines.

Deputy Secretary Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment, Mr Tony Dalton said the support would include a life-of-type extension – commencing in 2026, ongoing sustainment, and selected capability enhancements.

Expression of Interest: AVALON 2023 - Victorian Government Exhibition Pavilion

AVALON 2023 will provide Victorian industry with the opportunity to showcase their capabilities to the domestic and international defence industry, to attract new business contacts, strengthen working relationships and secure business contracts. It will also provide an opportunity to strengthen existing commercial industry and defence networks.

An initiative of the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR), the Victorian Government Exhibition Pavilion (Pavilion) offers a large, high profile exhibition space for Victorian industry to showcase their capability to key decision makers.

If you are interested in exhibiting on the Pavilion at AVALON 2023, please ensure you submit your completed Expression of Interest form by 4pm Wednesday 19 October 2022.

Launch of No Stress M8 - Online Wellbeing Tool for Leaders in Manufacturing

No Stress M8, a FREE tailored suite of resources to help create stress-free, psychosocially safe and productive workplaces. No Stress M8 is the result of a multi-year project working with the Victorian manufacturing industry, that has been funded under the under WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund.

No Stress M8 Flyer

The FREE online toolbox has been designed by the sector and informed by best-practice research to create simple actions, tools and recourses that deliver big impacts - that are not time or resource intensive to support you and your workers.

Join RapidContext to hear about how No Stress M8 can support you to create thriving & productive teams by tackling the causes of work-related stress.

Date and time:

Thu., 3 November 2022, 8:00 am – 9:30 am AEDT

Location:

Discovery Hub, Engineers Australia 600 Bourke Street #Level 31 Melbourne, VIC 3000

In addition, Rapid Context is offering one of our members a roadshow. They will manage the costs and logistics for the event. The length of the session to suit your schedule and the appetite of your workplace. Essentially the format is a brief overview of the No Stress M8 free online tool and a short talk from Jeremy Forbes from HALT about the importance of worker wellbeing and what we can do to support our mates, then a chance for conversation and networking across the group – sharing experiences and providing advice and insights on how we can support leaders.

Please email us if you are interested in taking up this offer

ADA-Vic 2022
Annual Networking & Golf Day
Friday, 9th December at the Medway Golf Club

This event will consist of a morning session of networking and industry briefings, set amongst an amazing backdrop with morning tea and lunch. For the golfers, and also the non-golfers amongst us, there will be an Ambrose golf competition in the afternoon and then a dinner and further networking in the evening.

This will be an enjoyable and informative day with the opportunity to meet others in Defence.

From Defence:  

Defence has released the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a fourth generation of contracts worth $1.7BN annually to deliver base services around Australia. Australian businesses and industry are invited to submit their proposal to deliver base services around Australia and support Defence’s key capabilities. See more here.
Defence Strategic Review down shifts Infantry Fighting Vehicle decision time. The LAND 400 Phase 3 – Land Combat Vehicle System (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) project will be reassessed under the Defence Strategic Review. See more here.

Other News:

Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AI and Internet of Things (IoT) specialists and Victorian business 4Zero Technologies, as well as with Hanwha Systems, and built on the existing MoU with Deakin University for future work on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satcoms. See more here.
Victorian SME, Pentarch has won two major Industry Land Forces 2022 Innovation Awards for their project that safely, and remotely, handles and ‘de-fuzes’ 105mm artillery rounds; the National Innovation Award and the SME Innovation Award categories. See more here.
HDA and Contract Manager partner, Conscia have selected the national construction group, Built, for the design and construction of the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) next to Avalon Airport in Geelong. See more here.
Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA)confirmed that it has partnered with the Melbourne-based infrastructure advisory firm Conscia for the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. See more here.
LMA has also announced it will open a new facility in partnership with Thales Australia in Mulwala see more here.
LMA has launched a new initiative to find Australian businesses that can help the sustainment of the RAN’s expanding Seahawk fleet and Army’s proposed Black Hawk fleet. Interested businesses can register an Expression of Interest (EOI) in its Australian Industry Capability Network (ICN) Gateway here. Applications are open until the end of June 2023. See more here.

Australian drone manufacturer and solutions provider, Carbonix, is partnering with Quickstep Holdings, Australia’s largest independent manufacturer of aerospace composites, to manufacture aerostructures for its Volanti drones with components to be manufactured at Quickstep’s Geelong facility. See more here.
SPEE3D unveils new metal 3D printer 3D printing at the 2022 Land Forces Conference in Brisbane. Both the ADF and the US Navy have taken the printer into remote locations, proving the printer can successfully produce parts in remote Australia and at sea. See more here.
Melbourne-based AOS and South Australian company Asension launched the HERCULES EW at Land Forces 2022, offering a sovereign EW network to increase ADF ground forces’ survivability. See more here.
NIOA has partnered with German defence equipment manufacturer, Diehl Defence for the local production of naval ammunition. Shell case production is expected to be carried out at the joint venture Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions centre in Queensland, while filling and finishing will be completed in Victoria. See more here.

Attached is the ADM’s list of Defence tenders.
Attached is the TDA Information for Companies 2022.

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 October 2022 - ADM Advanced Manufacturing in Defence Summit. See more here.
26 October 2022 - Women in Defence Networking Alliance Career Webinar. See more here.
25 - 26 October 2022 - Defence Export Controls & ITARS Outreach Program. See more here.
3 November 2022 – DTC Defence Industry Dinner & Award Ceremony. See more here.

7 - 9 November 2022 - SIA 11th Biennial Conference 2022. See more here.
8 – 10 November - PARARI 2022. See more here.
9 November 2022 – ADM Defence Skilling Summit. See more here.
11 - 17 November 2022 – Maritime RobotX Challenge. See more here.
15 – 17 November 2022 - Military Communications and Information Systems (MilCIS) 2022. See more here.
28 – 30 November Defence Human Sciences Symposium. See more here.
1 December 2022 – ADM Space Summit. See more here.
1 Feb – 2022 ADM Congress. 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:  

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 7th October 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.