Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was very pleased to host the Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne, to the Sunshine Coast, where we held a defence industry forum. The federal government is allocating $200 billion to defence industry expenditure, and I joked at the forum, although it was not exactly tongue-in-cheek, that I did not want to see all of that $200 billion going to South Australia. I want to ensure as best I can that at least part of that $200 billion is spent on the Sunshine Coast. I am very passionate about ensuring that we give Sunshine Coast businesses every opportunity to flourish and succeed. The Sunshine Coast is full of people with ingenuity. They are very smart, adaptable people, and many of these businesses—

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And they have me as a representative. Nonetheless, I want to ensure as best I can that I am able to assist them to take advantage of this $200 billion that is to be spent. Over 170 people came to this defence industry forum. There were 170 small businesses thirsting for information about how they can make a quid, how they can prosecute their own business agendas, how they can grow their businesses and provide for their families and their employees.

We were very proud to announce three defence industry contacts. They are relatively small in the broader scheme of things. There is a defence industry contract in the sum of $1.8 million for the University of the Sunshine Coast, which is doing research into pavements for the development of new types of runways for Defence. That is fantastic for the university, and I believe it will be a hub for defence industry research in the years to come. The second business was HeliMods, a business run by Caloundra icon Will Shrapnel. He started with nothing, and now he has been outfitting emergency helicopters. He just won a $154,000 contract to outfit 12 of the Navy Seahawk Romeo helicopters—once again, a small contract but a fantastic future, a great toe in the door. The third contract was for Praesidium Global, which are making unmanned ground vehicles that will go and retrieve and provide fire support to soldiers on the ground—a $1.3 million contract. The Sunshine Coast is coming of age, and I believe that it will become a hub for defence industry expenditure. (Time expired)

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.