Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union

 

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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.

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Media releases

Nov 17, 2023

AMWU WELCOMES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW SAFETY REGULATOR FOR NAVAL NUCLEAR POWER

17 November 2023 – The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has welcomed the introduction of legislation...


Nov 16, 2023

AMWU WELCOMES THE NATIONAL RAIL PROCUREMENT AND MANUFACTURING STRATEGY

16 November 2023 – The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) has welcomed the Albanese government’s...


Oct 26, 2023

NOTICE TO MEMBERS

29 September 2023 – An inquiry into the election of the position of NSW Assistant...