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A tripartite Defence Industry Council convened by Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy with members of the defence industry has turned up empty, with no recommendations or results after a recent meeting.
The third meeting of the tripartite Defence Industry Council was held at Parliament House in Canberra earlier this week on 11 August.
The council was originally envisioned to allow defence sector representatives to give input on the government’s economic reform agenda. Unsurprisingly, the results of the meeting, if any, have flown under the radar with no new announcements or program updates.
Minister Conroy, speaking to an address at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Defence Industry development conference in March last year, affirmed that prioritisation is central to the Defence Industry Development Strategy.
“We’ve had Sovereign Industrial Capability Priorities for years, but they’ve been vague to the point of irrelevance. There was no accountability for failing to deliver,” he said at the time.
“Prioritisation is at the heart of the new strategy and that means focused Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities that include identified capability managers and delivery managers.
“Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities will be considered from the beginning of the capability process from acquisition to delivery to maintenance and sustainment.
“And most importantly, the strategy will drive Defence to engage directly with industry right from the beginning, so that we understand what the sovereign defence industrial base can deliver and where we need to support it.
“I want to make it clear that the Defence Industry Development Strategy is not a hands-off, set and forget, strategy. I’m establishing a tripartite defence industry council that I’ll chair so I can hear directly from industry and unions as we roll out this whole of nation approach to developing the industrial base.”
Further consultation with industry stakeholders will occur as part of the 2026 Defence Industry Development Strategy after the most recent tripartite Defence Industry Council.
The government has also announced that consultation to identify challenges and opportunities for inclusion in the DIDS will commence in September, with a focus on accelerating the development of the industrial base.
“As the minister charged with ensuring the future of our defence industrial base, it’s also a source of great reassurance when the intellectual property, the materials and the manufacturing are here in Australia as well,” Minister Conroy said.
“Defence industry … has a big role to play in building Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base, and I look forward to working with you to achieve this great national challenge.”
After the most recent tripartite Defence Industry Council, the government again mentioned that the “Defence budget is projected to reach $100 billion per year by 2033–34”.
The next tripartite Defence Industry Council meeting will be held in early 2026.
