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The Northern Territory has revealed the establishment of the Defence Industry Council.
The newly formed council seeks to grow the defence industry through investing in local industry and improving the job market in the region.
The council will be made up of eight members with “strong industry expertise”.
Together, council members will aid in the development and advancement of NT’s defence industry through providing advice, supporting projects and sustaining business growth.
“Defence isn’t just about national security, it’s about economic security for territory families,” Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Lia Finocchiaro said.
“In our year of growth, certainty and security, this is about growing a piece of the pie and strengthening the territory’s role in Australia’s national defence.
“Right now, around 90 cents in every defence dollar spent in the territory goes directly to local businesses, and we want to grow that even further because it is quite literally putting food on people’s tables.”
Underpinning this new body is the Northern Territory’s continued advocacy to be a national defence hub through being the primary region for littoral basing, maintenance and logistics for the Australian Army.
Recent moves such as the announcement of the Northern Marine Complex as well as the Darwin Ship Lift and Marine Industry Park affirm the push for the Northern Territory to become a sustained defence state.
“By bringing government, industry and strategic expertise together, the Defence Industry Council will help secure the next generation of defence opportunities, delivering certainty for industry, growth for the economy and greater security for the Northern Territory and the nation,” Finocchiaro said.
The council establishment precedes the imminent release of the Northern Territory Defence Strategy, which is set to be announced in late April later this year.
