Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently met with Graeme Bulte, Managing Director of Aquaterro, an innovative, high-tech company in my electorate of La Trobe. The Aquaterro mission is to provide products and services to protect professionals whose jobs take them into harm's way. The company is currently providing a wide range of marine and aviation survival safety equipment to organisations such as the Australian Antarctic Division; the Tasmanian Maritime Police; the Royal Australian Navy, for their ship and aircraft cold-water operations; and the Royal Australian Air Force, for their F18 fighter pilot anti-g suits. The company has also broadened its traditional services to providing advanced body armour technology. It recently supplied 14,000 sets of armour to Victoria Police Protective Service Officers. This is the largest safety equipment contract in Australia's history and it has already been credited with saving five lives.

Aquaterro and its partners in the USA and Greece are to commence manufacturing precision parts for their high-performance night vision goggles and precision laser-targeting and weapon-mounting system. Aquaterro is planning a new built-for-purpose facility for future foreign investment, creating approximately 100 jobs in this high-tech defence manufacturing and supporting services sector. I congratulate Graeme and his team at Aquaterro.