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The Western Australian government has delivered a strong defence industry delegation for Australian land defence trade show Land Forces 2024.
Team WA, consisting of 36 co-exhibitors and rovers, returned to the Melbourne exhibition for a third year to highlight Western Australia’s local defence industry on a global stage.
The Defence West stand hosts 18 co-exhibitors, showcasing their skills, services and expertise to defence, government and senior industrial decisionmakers of land defence markets in Australia.
Eighteen Western Australian small and medium-sized businesses are also attending the conference, which runs between 11–13 September 2024, and will be allowed to access business amenities in the booth.
“The Defence West booth at Land Forces has gone from strength to strength since its first iteration in 2020,” Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia said.
“This is the third time the state has brought a delegation to the event, and we are pleased to say we now have 36 WA exhibitors that will be able to demonstrate what they can do directly to the decisionmakers in defence likely to purchase from them.
“Supporting the WA defence industry’s attendance at Land Forces is a clear example of how the WA government supports our economy’s growth and diversification, fostering significant investment and job creation across the state.”
Team WA includes a hovercraft manufacturer, a producer of body and vehicle armour, and the maker of rapidly deployed shelters.
In the last three years, the WA government has helped promote 60 co-exhibitors at Land Forces – including 46 specific Western Australian defence industry businesses – leading to over $500 million in new defence contracts.
Austal, based in Western Australia, inked a pivotal heads of agreement last year to construct Birdon-designed landing craft for the Australian Army at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, which highlights the significant opportunities for the local defence industry.
