Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union

 

Rebuilding Sovereign Capabilities in Australia’s Defence Industry

Australia’s defence manufacturing capability needs to be strengthened. Renewed geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific and Europe, accelerating climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the fault lines of fragile global supply chains. These crises have demonstrated the urgent need for Australia to build and maintain sovereign capability in defence and in our manufacturing industries more broadly.


The Australian Manufacturing Workers
Union (AMWU) has a proud history of supporting Australias defence forces through the production, maintenance, and repair of defence equipment. Our highly skilled members build and maintain ships and submarines, helicopters and other aircraft, munitions, and vehicles. Australian innovations like the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle not only serve our own military but are exported to other armed forces around the world.

Despite consistently large expenditure on defence assets over several decades, waves of outsourcing and offshoring have seen Australia’s defence manufacturing capacities significantly diminished and increasingly precarious.

The policy paper outlines 11 recommendations to strengthen Australia's sovereign defence capabilities, which you can read here.

Share on

Media releases

Mar 17, 2025

OVER 500 DEFENCE WORKERS STAGE MASSIVE WALK-OUT OVER WAGES AS BAE AUSTRALIA MANAGEMENT ADDRESSES WORKFORCE

Hundreds of critical defence shipbuilders at Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide are walking off the...


Mar 12, 2025

AMWU URGES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SHIFT INDUSTRY POLICY AFTER US STEEL, ALUMINIUM TARIFFS

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) is urging the federal government to shift gears on...


Mar 03, 2025

AMWU WELCOMES MAJOR INVESTMENT INTO WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN TRADES AND TECH

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) welcomes the federal government’s announcement today that sees a...