Secure your seat: Sovereign capability, submarines and future industries


James Riley
Editorial Director

Australia’s Ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, Silicon Quantum Computing chief executive Michelle Simmons and Defence chief scientist Tanya Monro will headline an InnovationAus panel discussion on the industrial development opportunities of the submarine program at 10 am on Tuesday 19 October.

The Australian Government decision to drop plans to acquire diesel-electric submarines from the French in favour of nuclear-powered subs under a technology-sharing arrangement with Britain and the US has put a spotlight on industrial policy.

Australia’s industry and innovation heavyweights

The CAPABILITY: Submarines, Industrial Development, and Future Industries event is a free webinar that discusses the new opportunities for Australian industry presented by the new arrangements and its potential for driving the development of future industries in this country.

Where is Australia placing its big bets to leverage existing leadership positions in research? How can policy makers best leverage the tens of billions of dollars being spent to acquire submarines to build our industrial capability?

Quantum, artificial intelligence, 5G, advanced manufacturing, robotics and automation, and critical mineral processing are all part of this mix.

Speakers on this program include:

  • The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America
  • The Hon. Steven Marshall, Premier of South Australia
  • Professor Tanya Monro, Chief Defence Scientist, Department of Defence
  • Professor Michelle Simmons AO, CEO & Founder at Silicon Quantum Computing, Director at ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology
  • Rear Admiral Lee Goddard, RAN, Head of Partnerships & Operations at Minderoo Foundation
  • Rob Le Busque, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific at Verizon Business Group
  • Adrian Beer, Chief Executive, METS Ignited
  • Jens Goennemann, Managing Director, Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre

This discussion is less about submarines and geopolitics, and more about industry development and technology opportunity.

“This is a fundamentally important discussion for Australia. There is a lot to be learned about maximising the benefits to Australia of the tens of billions of dollars that will be spent in the coming years on the submarine program,” said InnovationAus publisher Corrie McLeod.

“The geostrategic realignment of Defence priorities is one thing. But the focus of this discussion is the industrial policies that can leverage that spending to build the economically valuable and strategically important industries of the future,” she said.

The CAPABILITY: Submarines, Industrial Development, and Future Industries event will be held from 10am AEDT. Places are limited, so please secure your virtual seat today.

Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.

Leave a Comment

Related stories