On Tuesday 17 June, we brought together leaders from law, industry and government to explore Western Australia’s strategic role in the AUKUS partnership and the opportunities under Pillar II.
Co-hosted with the Australian Industry & Defence Network (AIDN) – WA, our panel discussion and networking event unpacked how advanced technologies like AI, quantum, cyber and undersea capabilities are reshaping sovereign defence capability and what this means for WA SMEs.
Principal Mark MacLennan, who predominantly advises clients in the defence sector, delivered the Official Welcome and the session was facilitated by AIDN’s National Chairperson, Carl Quarterman. Our panel featured The Hon Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs; Glenn Callow, Chief Technology Officer at Austal; Ashley Schneider, Chief Safety, Engineering and Assurance Officer at H&B Defence; Adam Falconer-West, CEO of Franmarine and Chloe Baxter (nee Woodgate), WA State Service Delivery Manager- Defence Programs Lead.
The session covered the urgency of workforce and skills development, the legal and compliance challenges of global defence collaboration, real-world examples of innovation from WA companies already contributing to AUKUS and how local SMEs can future-proof their business and become AUKUS-ready.
It was a powerful conversation on collaboration, capability uplift and the pivotal role WA is poised to play.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and a special thank you to the President of AIDN-WA, Fred Bkamdin, for his ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to continuing this dialogue.
Read more about Mark MacLennan here.
To register your interest in future events, please email Bianca Tabbakh.
