A new agreement has been signed between South Australia and the United Kingdom this month, unlocking billions of dollars in economic activity. The three-year memorandum of understanding was signed during a recent visit from UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. It is set to deepen the state’s relationship with the UK in the defence, cyber and space industries, whilst also making it easier for local businesses to break into the UK market and help implement the AUKUS agreement. The deal was struck following a visit to the state-of-the-art Osborne Naval Shipyard – set to be home to the construction of Australia’s ...

COVID UPDATE - Permissions for close contact critical workers to return to worksite during quarantine period for COVID-19 Changes have been made to the Exposure Sites, Contacts and Diagnosis Requirements Direction in South Australia effective from 12.01 am on 13 January 2022. Today’s changes provide permissions during times of significant COVID case numbers in South Australia, for close contact critical workers to return to a worksite during a quarantine period for COVID-19. Close contact critical workers are certain workers who will be required to attend work despite being a close contact of a COVID case. The explicit reason for this ...

Georgia Robertson is breaking down barriers and leading the way for women in the defence sector. Georgia Robertson was told she shouldn’t do an apprenticeship as a mechanical fitter and turner. So she went out and did it. She was also told she shouldn’t enter a male-dominated engineering field. So she did. Today, her efforts have more than paid off, having worked her way up to the role of quality assurance/defence security officer at Axiom Precision Manufacturing, charged with ensuring quality manufacturing standards are met and security measures adhered to. Robertson’s pathway to a career in the defence sector began ...

A major step forward in Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding program has been achieved, with the launch of Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), NUSHIP Arafura. NUSHIP Arafura is the first of two new Arafura class OPVs being constructed in South Australia by Luerssen Australia at the world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard. Since construction began in 2018, a number of local businesses at all stages of the supply chain have been involved in the OPV program. Local industry involvement includes: Saab Australia is partnered with Luerssen on the design and integration of the Arafura class Situational Awareness System (SAS) Raytheon Australia is capability life ...

Hosted by the University of South Australia and supported by Defence SA, the Re-Engineering Australia (REA) programs saw over 100 South Australian students develop a wide range of STEM skills to design and build miniature submarines and F1 race cars. Three South Australian schools participated in Subs in Schools, with The Heights School winning first place in the remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) class, and Brighton Secondary School taking out spatial design and submarine categories. Brighton Secondary School will go on to compete in the national finals in Melbourne, from 4-8 April 2022, while The Heights School and St Peter’s ...

South Australian company DEWC Systems is one step closer to developing sovereign electronic warfare capability for Defence, after joining forces with local company REDARC Defence Systems. Under the multi-million dollar agreement, REDARC will support DEWC by designing and manufacturing capabilities to further enhance and complement DEWC’s growing portfolio of state-of-the-art electronic warfare solutions. Established in 2018, DEWC Systems has already developed a strong reputation for innovation, and as the first Australian company to launch a payload on a space capable rocket from Australian soil, helped lead Australia into the Space 4.0 era. Earlier this week, the company announced a strategic ...

Global IT and business consulting services firm CGI is establishing its new Space, Defence and Intelligence Hub in South Australia with plans to create up to 200 highly skilled technical jobs by 2024 across the country. With 80,000 consultants and professionals worldwide, the company, founded in 1976, delivers mission-critical IT systems to organisations across Australia. CGI selected South Australia as the location to expand its operations in Australia, tapping into the artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data capabilities the state has to offer. CGI is an end-to-end services provider, providing business and strategic IT consulting, systems integration and managed ...

Some of South Australia’s youngest and brightest apprentices are forging life-long careers in the state’s naval shipbuilding industry, having recently completed the first stage of their apprenticeship on the Hunter Class Frigate Program. Marking a significant step towards building Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding workforce, BAE Systems Australia’s first 16 school-based apprentices graduated from high school and will now enter the next phase of their apprenticeship program. The apprentices, who are from 10 South Australian high schools, will now work full-time at the Osborne Naval Shipyard for a further three years, before becoming fully qualified skilled tradespeople on the Hunter Class Frigate ...

Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) has celebrated its South Australian operations reaching 250 local employees, just six years since the company first established in the state. BDA originally established in South Australia in 2015 to support the P-8A Poseidon fleet at RAAF Base Edinburgh. While the local workforce continues to play an important role in the sustainment and training support of the P-8A fleet, operations have expanded rapidly. In addition to 120 staff based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, today more than 140 staff in BDA’s Adelaide CBD operations support a range of national defence and aerospace projects including the world-leading E-7A ...

South Australian-based company DEWC Systems and the University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) are teaming up to explore the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning in detecting radio frequency signals to support Defence needs. The collaborative research project builds on the work already undertaken by DEWC Systems and AIML for Phase 1 of the Miniaturised Orbital Electronic Sensor System (MOESS) project – a space-based tactical EW sensor system that provides situational awareness. DEWC Systems’ chief technology officer Dr Paul Gardner-Stephen, who is spearheading the project, said the collaboration will create a framework for AI-enabled spectrum monitoring ...

Expressions of interest to participate on the South Australian ‘Defence State’ pavilion during Indo-Pacific 2022 are now open. The internationally renowned event presents a unique opportunity for commercial maritime and naval defence companies to showcase products, technologies and services to an influential audience. The largest exhibition of its kind in the region, the Indo-Pacific International Maritime Exposition is set to be held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney from 10-12 May 2022. Expressions of interest will close on 14 December 2021. Complete the online form to register your interest today. Nominate for the Indo-Pacific Innovation Awards Entries for the ...