The Albanese government will on Monday announce a $1.2b package for defence vehicles which is predicted to secure 450 jobs in Bendigo and Brisbane.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will on Monday make the announcement that the government has ordered a fleet of 268 Bushmaster vehicles which will be built at the Thales facility in Victoria and delivered over the next seven years.
As well, the government is investing $450m to upgrade the ADF’s fleet of Hawkei protected mobility vehicles.
The two projects are expected to support 300 jobs in Bendigo and 150 in Brisbane.
The Victorian-made troop carriers have been exported to Fiji, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, Indonesia and the Netherlands.
The Australian government in 2023 gifted 120 Bushmasters to Ukraine following the outbreak of the war with Russia.
The Netherlands government has also ordered a fleet of Bushmasters.
The Albanese Government has also pledged $450 million to upgrade the ADF’s fleet of Hawkei protected mobility vehicles, which will carried out at the Thales plant in Brisbane.
“The Australian-built Bushmaster and Hawkei are recognised as world-leading protected mobility vehicles – supporting not just the Australian Defence Force, but the defence forces of our international partners as well,” Marles said.
“Through this $1.2b investment the Albanese Government is sustaining local jobs, strengthening our national defence industry and delivering a capability that protects the lives of Australian Defence Force personnel.”
