HELPING small businesses upskill and seize contracts in the Defence sector will be the focus of the upcoming Hunter Defence Conference.
Launched on Wednesday, registrations are now open for the conference, which will run from August 31 to September 2 at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, with expected keynote speeches by the federal Minister for Defence and the NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade.
Defence industry adviser and Hunter Defence Taskforce chair Tim Owen said that with billions in new defence infrastructure investment on the horizon for the Hunter, the conference would be an "unmatched opportunity" for established, new and emerging defence industries, business, advisers and investors to leverage Defence thought leaders and converge on new markets and prospects for growth.
"This focus is central to the ambition of the Hunter Defence collaboration - building connections to achieve industrial growth," he said.
With the federal government having forecast an increase of $270 billion Defence spend nationally over the next decade, the conference would let SMEs "sit with the big primes and look at the Hunter region as the place to invest and grow" their specialised offerings.
"The 2022 Hunter Defence Conference will show current and potential contractors where the supply chain opportunities lie and how they can skill their workforce with the capabilities that Defence needs," Mr Owen said.
"Having a platform like the Hunter Defence Conference to actually touch, look and learn about innovation, industry advancement and sector initiatives in this region will help SMEs focus in on their product development priorities and business growth through engagement with like-minded and tested industry colleagues."
The conference will also look critically on how the Hunter can upskill its industry workforce to meet the expected increased opportunities.
