Chair of the South West Group Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils (VROC), City of Melville Mayor, Russell Aubrey, has welcomed the development of Western Australia’s Defence Strategic Plan.
“Southwest metropolitan Perth is one of the most capable regions in Australia to support the ongoing development of the defence industry through fabrication, maintenance, refitting and operations support, particularly for maritime services.
“The defence industry is worth over a billion dollars to the southwest metropolitan region and supports almost 5,000 jobs, and we are pleased to see it well recognised as an industry vital to the region and the state by the McGowan Government.”
South West Group Director, Tom Griffiths, said, “Access to the Indian Ocean is expected to be vital to Australia’s security and prosperity in the coming decades.
“Due to its wealth of strategic assets, strong population and skilled workforce, the southwest metropolitan region is ideally positioned to support the development of this vital industry.
“The region’s attractive and diverse mix of lifestyle, natural attractions and employment opportunities makes it an ideal location for defence personnel and their families.”
He added that it was important to recognise the geo-political importance of strategic defence assets and how well that positioned the region to attract future investment and secure sustainment and maintenance work.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the State on several of the actions within the strategy.
“For instance, our Member Local Governments should be involved in the master planning and management of the Henderson precinct.
“We can add significant value to the process and will ultimately be involved in much of the implementation.”
