H&B Defence has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Victorian Government to build a skilled workforce and strengthen Victoria’s defence supply chain and industrial capabilities.
The agreement, announced today at Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, aims to build workforce resilience, expand global market access for Victorian businesses, and accelerate supply chain development. It outlines a commitment to collaborate on a series of joint initiatives aligned with the AUKUS security partnership and Australia’s wider national security objectives, including:
- Delivering targeted supply chain uplift programs to help Victorian businesses meet US and UK shipbuilding requirements
- Collaborating with education and training providers to pilot new approaches to defence-focused skills development
- Expanding Victoria’s STEM talent pipeline to meet the workforce needs of current and future defence projects
- Attracting new defence-related investment to grow Victoria’s industrial base and global competitiveness.
In partnership with the Victorian Government, H&B Defence will draw on the international expertise of its parent companies, HII and Babcock, in the US and UK to support Victorian small and medium-sized enterprises access global defence supply chains and meet international standards.
Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Colin Brooks said:
“Victoria is well-equipped to take advantage of new opportunities emerging from AUKUS and our record attendance at Indo Pac demonstrates the breadth of our extensive defence maritime capabilities to a global audience.”
“Victoria’s MOU with H&B Defence draws on the expertise of two of the largest defence companies in the world and builds on our advanced manufacturing capabilities and highly skilled workforce – taking our contribution to AUKUS to the next level.”
H&B Defence Managing Director Tim Brown said:
“We look forward to working with the Victorian Government to further position the state’s workforce and supply chain to seize global defence manufacturing opportunities.”
“This MOU complements ongoing efforts by H&B Defence to qualify Australian suppliers for participation in the US submarine industrial base and supports long-term trilateral defence objectives, including those in the UK. It also advances the development of genuine sovereign capability in Australia, helping to share the burden of allied shipyards and enabling the timely delivery of both US and Australian Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines to strengthen collective deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.”