On the 21st of March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a new defence deal with Germany. The deal will see Queensland workers producing 100 new Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles through the Rheinmetall company. The deal is set to create 600 additional manufacturing jobs.
At the time of the announcement, Minister for Defence Richard Marles said he was pleased that the deal was agreed to and that it represented a deepening of the relationship between the two countries.
“The Albanese Government is not only committed to bolstering our nation’s growing defence industry, technology and talent, but also supporting ongoing economic prosperity in the region.”
Richard Marles: Australian-made armoured vehicles to be exported to Germany | Prime Minister of Australia (pm.gov.au)
The Prime Minister has now also made the case for the deal in an opinion piece for the Courier Mail. He argues that the deal will be good for local manufacturing jobs, which is part of his government’s commitment to build things here in Australia.
Additionally, he argues that strengthening the Defence industry will protect Australia’s sovereignty by ensuring the ADF remains well-equipped.
“We want a future made in Queensland – by Queenslanders.
We want a strong Australian defence industry.
We want to support Australian technology and talent, because nurturing that capability creates opportunity and underwrites prosperity for Queensland and for the rest of the country.
Export opportunities like this are a win-win.”
Anthony Albanese: Anthony Albanese: Biggest ever defence deal to make us richer and safer | The Courier Mail
These commitments follow recent announcements made by the Minister Marles and Minister Conroy to achieve continuous shipbuilding for the defence industry in WA.