Developing South Australia’s Defence Industry Workforce

South Australia’s new Department of State Development (DSD) was formed on 1 July 2024 as the state’s lead economic development agency. DSD adds Skills SA and Trade and Investment functions, including Invest SA with the former Industry, Innovation and Science Department.

Adam Reid, Chief Executive of DSD, is confident that the new Department of State Development will create significant value by partnering with business and industry to coordinate and align its policy advice, services and initiatives to the needs of industry and government priorities.

“DSD has a clear mission to enable projects of national importance to be delivered, including in defence and infrastructure and achieve sustainable economic growth by increasing South Australia’s research, innovation and industrial capability, increasing workforce and skills capability and capacity and driving investment and trade,” Reid said.

A key part of this mission is DSD’s continued partnership with the Commonwealth Government, other Australian jurisdictions, industry, unions and education and training providers to deliver the workforce development initiatives within the SA Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report and Action Plan.

“Our detailed workforce planning demonstrates a significant uplift in the defence industrial base is required to deliver on the multi-generational defence projects slated for our state,” Reid said.

For more than 20 years South Australian industry has supported the nation’s most complex defence projects, including the Collins Class Submarine, Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers, the Arafura Class OPVs, the Jindalee Operational Radar Network and Short-range air defence missile system program – Land 19 Phase 7B.

Major defence companies across the maritime, aerospace, land, systems and cyber domains have their headquarters or significant operations in South Australia. This is underpinned by a deep defence supplier base with hundreds of SA suppliers that support our sovereign industrial capability.

“Australia is now in a very different geopolitical and security environment, requiring a shift towards deterrence-based approaches to national security,” Reid said.

“We know that securing Australia’s national interests requires a regionally competitive maritime capability, including the capabilities provided by the forthcoming conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

“Delivering the necessary defence capability will need the collective effort of the manufacturing industry and thousands of highly skilled and experienced Australian workers, giving governments, industry, and education and training providers a clear and urgent agenda.”

DSD, in partnership with Defence SA, is well placed to drive the complementary programs of work to build South Australia’s defence industrial base: supporting greater productivity, sustainability, and the adoption