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WA could become the third state in Australia to begin manufacturing military missiles after the government announced it was seeking expressions of interest to build a weapons hub.
Premier Roger Cook is expected to make the call-out to defence contractors during the Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference, being held in Perth this week.
Australia produced its first batch of guided multiple launch rocket systems earlier this year at a new manufacturing facility in Port Wakefield, South Australia.
Prior to the hub being built, Australia had no capacity to build its own missiles. A second hub is being built in Newcastle, New South Wales, and is expected to be operational by mid-2027.
Defence Australia, as part of its $21 billion Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance plan, has committed to building 4000 missiles a year by 2029 to increase sovereign capacity.
Western Australia and the Northern Territory are considered primary locations for storage and rapid deployment of weapons, with WA’s anticipated AUKUS facilities also providing a maintenance hub for reloading and servicing naval strike assets.
People from 12 countries and 250 different companies are expected to attend the Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference from Tuesday.
The three-day conference is being held amid tight security at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.
An anti-war protest against the conference is scheduled to take place on Tuesday afternoon, with Greens WA MLC Sophie McNeill helping to organise the action.
“It is outrageous that the Cook Labor government has signed up our beautiful little part of the world to be a key cog in the US military war machine,” she said.
“We will make sure these murderous weapons companies know that West Aussies do not welcome them here.”
CLARIFICATION
WA Greens MLC Sophie McNeill is no relation to the journalist who wrote this article.
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