Queensland's State Development minister Dr Anthony Lynham heads to Canberra next month to push Queensland's case for a $20 billion defence contract to build the next-generation armoured vehicles for the Australian Army and create new engineering jobs.
Queensland's "secret weapon" to win the contract is redirecting thousands of under-employed engineering, welding and heavy equipment staff who once worked in Queensland's resources industry.
![State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham hopes to press Queensland's case for a $20 billion defence contract to ...](/web/20170126081920im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/p/v/9/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtypoq.png/1485380651735.jpg)
Queensland's resources sector has lost around 20,000 jobs in the past two years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Now the Queensland Government wants to redirect many of these skilled staff to defence work if all, or part, of the $20 billion in defence contracts to be announced in early 2018, comes to Queensland.
![The Australian Army's light-armoured vehicle, the Bushmaster, in action in Afghanistan.](/web/20170126081920im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/p/v/a/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtypoq.png/1485380651735.jpg)
"We already know that Defence already brings in $3.8 billion into Queensland and employs more than 6500 Queenslanders," Dr Lynham said.
"So it is a heavy hitter in terms of employment and jobs opportunities here in Queensland," he said.
"Initially it started when we realised we had a highly skilled workforce that was essentially under-utilised with the resources downturn.
"So we are now looking for somewhere that we can use our workforce and keep them here in Queensland."
![State Development Minister Dr Anthony Lynham with Thales Australia director Paul Feighan.](/web/20170126081920im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/p/v/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtypoq.png/1485380651735.jpg)
The Australian Army's $20 billion LAND 400 contract will be heavily discussed at the Australian Defence Magazine Congress in Canberra on February 7.
Minister for Defence Senator Marise Payne gives the keynote address while Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne, hosts the welcome reception on the night before the conference.
Dr Lynham and Queensland defence industry staff will attend the conference now regarded as one of the pivotal defence conferences in the year and attracting more than 450 delegates mostly from defence industries and suppliers.
Two companies, Rheinmetall and BAE, are front-runners to win the contract to build 450 armoured troop carriers, while four companies are in line to win a $3.5 billion contract to build reconnaissance vehicles.
Queensland now believes it can woo defence companies north of the border to build the new Army vehicles, despite South Australia recently hosting an armoured vehicles showcase, Dr Lynham said.
He said Queensland had two-thirds of the "operational Army" at Brisbane's Enoggera Barracks and Townsville's Lavarack Barracks and good "co-location" benefits at RAAF Base Amberley and Oakey.
Thales Australia – with its resources at Brisbane, Townsville and Bendigo - already operated the tender to build and repair the 1000, 11.4 tonne, bomb resistant Bushmaster light-armoured vehicles for the Australian Army.
Director Paul Feighan said the mine-protected Bushmaster vehicle had saved 350 Army personnel since it came in to service in the mid 1990s, but modern warfare was demanding changes.
The company already plans to expand its Eagle Farm and Townsville plants to deal with new defence contracts.
Thales has also recently win the contract to build and maintain the Bushmaster's replacement, the 1100 Hawkei vehicles which are lighter at 7 tonnes each and faster, 130 kmh, than the Bushmaster, but still bomb-resistant.
South-east Queensland also has Australia's largest heavy vehicle assembly plant at the Volvo trick assembly line at Volvo Trucks at Wacol.
Dr Lynham said defence companies already recognised advantages in Queensland.
"It doesn't take much to retrain someone who is highly skilled in welding LNG pipes to welding ballistic armour," Dr Lynham said.
"The companies have said, you have this enormous talent of engineers, heavy vehicle fitters, all up here in Queensland because of the resources sector."
"We have the highly trained workforce here, we have the know-how, we have the knowledge and we have the facilities and we have the transport infrastructure in and out of Brisbane."
Queensland Defence Industries director Mal Lane said Queensland also had second-level defence technology firms also located in the band from the Port of Brisbane out towards RAAF Base Amberley.
"The suppliers for the various components of the battlespace communications also have a presence here in south east Queensland in that corridor," he said.
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