Press Releases

The Hon Richard Marles MP Deputy Prime Minister Minister for Defence The Hon Pat Conroy Minister for International Development and the Pacific Minister for Defence Industry The Albanese Government continues to progress Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine program, today announcing the concept design partners for South Australia’s new Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard (NPSCY). Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) and an AECOM and Aurecon Joint Venture have been announced as the design partners for the NPSCY. KBR has extensive experience in supporting design and project management for defence infrastructure facilities across the nation and will design the area of the NPSCY that ...

Blair Boyer MP Minister for Education, Training and Skills Construction of the Tonsley Technical College is underway, with concrete pouring and other key work taking place on site. The work has been undertaken by Sarah Constructions at the Tonsley Innovation Precinct. The Technical College is one of two colleges in metropolitan Adelaide. Both Tonsley Technical College and The Heights Technical College are due to welcome students in 2026. South Australia’s five new Technical Colleges are all now open for enrolments for 2025 and 2026, paving the way for students and their families to start planning their career pathways over the ...

Stephen Mullighan MP Minister for Defence and Spaces Industries Bombardier Defense is the latest business to call Adelaide home with the establishment of a South Australian office at Lot Fourteen. The new workspace was opened today by Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Stephen Mullighan. Selecting Lot Fourteen for its Australian presence ensures the business has access to a curated, collaborative research and business ecosystem dedicated to driving productivity and solving complex global challenges. Bombardier, a Canadian company founded in 1942, employs more than 18,000 people globally and has an in-service fleet of more than 5,000 aircraft, supported by a ...

Peter Malinauskas MP Premier Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a new program with America’s largest shipbuilder HII to help South Australian companies enter the global supply chain for nuclear-powered submarines. The Premier announced the new program with HII while touring HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia in the United States, where the defence giant builds Virginia Class submarines. The agreement connects the South Australian Government to HII’s Supplier Capability Uplift Program, enabling selected SA suppliers to participate in the nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarine supply chain. Given the highly specialised and technical nature of the work to build Virginia Class ...

Peter Malinauskas MP Premier South Australia and the State of Maryland will collaborate on developing the skilled workforce required for the AUKUS program, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Premier Peter Malinauskas. The Premier signed the MoU with the Governor of the State of Maryland, Wes Moore, in Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday. Maryland is a national leader in defence, space and cyber, meaning there is strong scope for collaboration with South Australia. Fifteen of the world's top 20 aerospace and defence companies have a presence in Maryland. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, both states have agreed to: ...

The Hon Catherine King MP Minister For Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development And Local Government The Hon Pat Conroy MP Minister For Defence Industry Minister For International Development And The Pacific The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP Premier Of South Australia The Hon Stephen Mullighan MP Minister For Defence And Space Industries The Albanese Government alongside the Malinauskas Government will jointly invest $60 million towards the Australian Defence Technologies Academy to be developed at Lot Fourteen, driving sovereign research and development of defence capabilities in South Australia. From 2026, Lot Fourteen will be home to a state-of-the-art facility which will provide digital ...

Blair Boyer MP Minister for Education, Training and Skills South Australian defence industry leaders will join forces at the University of South Australia today to welcome the first cohort of software engineering students who are beginning an Australian-first degree apprenticeship. Announced by the Malinauskas Labor Government in November, following the formal declaration by the SA Skills Commission of the Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) as a trade under the South Australian Skills Act 2008, the degree apprenticeship will support the growing defence sector, ahead of the construction of nuclear-powered AUKUS submarines. This is the first time in Australia that apprentices ...

Susan Close MP Acting Premier Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy Stephen Mullighan MP Minister for Defence and Space Industries Blair Boyer MP Minister for Education, Training and Skills Students at The Heights Technical College will be looking to the skies through an aero skills specialisation – one of the key pathways announced today for the upcoming technical college. Aero skills is the first of the specialisations and a key qualification to enable students to work in the defence sector. The specialised skills and knowledge will allow graduates to maintain aircraft to keep planes flying safely. An important component of ...

Stephen Mullighan MP Treasurer Minister for Defence and Space Industries The State Government’s key defence agency, Defence SA, has a new Chief Executive as the biggest ramp up of defence work in our state’s history gets under way. Leading defence industry expert Matt Opie started his new role this week as the state embarks on the delivery of major new ship-building programs at Osborne. The shipyard will deliver the construction of Hunter Class Frigates, AUKUS nuclear powered submarines, upgrades to the current Air Warfare Destroyers, as well as the sustainment and life extension of the Collins class submarines. Together, these ...

Peter Malinauskas MP Premier Her Excellency Vicki Treadell CMG, MVO British High Commissioner to Australia The United Kingdom and South Australian Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to forge closer ties in areas of mutual interest, including defence and green hydrogen. UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Lord David Cameron and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas signed the agreement in Adelaide today on the sidelines of the AUKMIN meeting. The MoU will see both jurisdictions work together to forge closer co-operation in key areas of mutual interest including: Defence industries, workforce development and skills capability ...

Peter Malinauskas MP Premier The Malinauskas Labor Government welcomes the selection of Adelaide-based shipbuilders ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems to build Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarines at Osborne. The Federal Government has entered into a collaborative arrangement between the two world-leading companies, who will eventually form a Joint Venture to lead Australia’s sovereign building program for nuclear powered, conventionally armed submarines. The announcement will be confirmed today in Adelaide ahead of high level AUKMIN talks between the United Kingdom Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, and their Australian counterparts, Richard Marles and Senator Penny Wong. ASC has ...

Susan Close MP Deputy Premier Minister for Defence and Space Industries One of South Australia’s leading defence industry experts, Matt Opie, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Defence SA. Mr Opie replaces outgoing CE Richard Price who resigned in December 2023. An Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College Duntroon graduate, Mr Opie has held senior defence positions across government, industry and academia over the course of his 30-year career. He served as an Officer in the Royal Australian Corps of Signals both in Australia and the Middle East. Since then, he has worked on defence ...