Gabby Costigan, Chief Executive Officer, BAE Systems Australia
We are very proud to have been selected as the preferred tenderer to deliver the SEA 5000 program.
BAE Systems has been in Australia for 65 years, supporting the ADF to protect generations of Australians. Today is an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to the nation.
Our plan is to deliver a defence program the likes of which Australia has never seen before.
BAE Systems will provide Australia with the world’s newest and most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigate – the aptly named Hunter class - that will be absolutely critical to defending the nation for decades into the future.
We will create a continuous naval shipbuilding industry that will create and sustain around 5,000 jobs, including more than 1,000 graduate positions and apprentices. This will be a long-term economic opportunity for Australia.
The opportunities this program offers Australian industry are huge, and to date we have pre-qualified more than 500 Australian suppliers … that is the tip of the iceberg.
We welcome the Commonwealth Government’s announcement that ASC Shipbuilding will become a subsidiary of BAE Systems and through BAE Systems, ASC Shipbuilding will be responsible for the delivery of the Global Combat Ship - Australia.
This program will provide opportunities for Australian companies in every state and territory, including Indigenous defence companies that we will help to grow and support.
We are going to bring the world’s best technology, skills and expertise to create a world-class Australian naval shipbuilding industry.
The best capability, built here in Australia, by Australians using Australian steel – this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that I am so proud BAE Systems will be delivering for Australia.
I would like to sincerely thank the Prime Minister, and Ministers Pyne and Payne for their steadfast commitment to the Defence industry. It is this vision and commitment that will not only help protect the nation, but will work to benefit the Australian economy for years to come.
I would also like to congratulate Vice Admiral Tim Barrett for an incredible military career, and wish you the best of luck.
And, finally, I would like to thank the team at BAE Systems.
As a former serving officer with the Australian Army and now Chief Executive of this company, I am very proud of the work we do for the Australian Defence Force every day, and will continue to do, for many years to come.
