Innovation News

Australia needs to focus on boosting defence innovation

Eliza Sayon Aug 30, 2022

2 min read

Former defence economic adviser Dr Rob Bourke states that Australia should have a greater focus on boosting innovation onshore in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum and hypersonics rather than importing defence blueprints to ease military acquisition costs.

In a newly released report, Dr Bourke says Australia should drastically review how it acquires and builds military equipment given the country’s $1 trillion of public debt.

While the Australian Government should acquire weaponry from overseas where it can, it should pay more attention to domestic capability to boost efficiency in areas covered by the AUKUS agreement with the US and UK.

Dr Bourke argues that simply assembling weapons platforms designed abroad is not only inefficient but is also not the most effective path to increasing local jobs and fostering defence innovation.

“Avoiding price premiums for some materiel and using what’s saved elsewhere should bolster the military preparedness and industrial productivity,” he said.

“Australia should gain more jobs faster across a larger, more efficient, and increasingly diverse advanced manufacturing base.”

The domestic boost can be achieved by funnelling resources into critical technologies and areas of innovation which encompass Australia’s national interests.

This includes areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum and hypersonics, with cooperation with the US and UK in these areas underpinned by AUKUS.

“Assembling weapons platforms designed abroad is neither the only, nor the most effective, path to boosting domestic employment, increasing industrial complexity and fostering innovation,” he writes.

“If properly administered, redirected domestic investment has the potential to deliver the design-induced knowledge spillovers that drive economic expansion.”

The report’s release coincides with Defence Minister Richard Marles touring Europe and meeting with his British, German and French counterparts to foster further security cooperation.

Minister Marles will tour key British shipyards “which build some of the world’s most capable ships and submarines”.

The defence minister is due to visit the Govan shipyard in Glasgow on Tuesday before heading to the BAE shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness on Wednesday.

With AAP

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.