Western Australia could become the third state in the nation to manufacture guided weapons domestically under a defence manufacturing hub plan announced by Premier Roger Cook at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference in Perth. The push would build a local weapons manufacturing hub to make missiles for use in the Australian military, with Collie, about 200 kilometres south of Perth, flagged as a possible location while the state phases out coal-fired power generation in 4 years and tries to redirect the town’s economy and workforce into new industries.
Who Gets the Jobs, Who Gets the Weapons
The government is seeking expressions of interest from Australian and international companies to deliver the project. Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia said the state was looking to international defence companies in neighbouring and allied countries, and framed the plan as a way to turn WA’s industrial base toward military production. He said, "Right around the world right now, nations are uplifting [their] defence spend," and added, "In most places, their industrial base can't support their ambitions, but in WA we have a massive resources sector [where] we can apply that industrial base to defence outcomes."
Papalia said the WA facility could extend beyond missiles and into "anything in the defence manufacturing supply chain," including "vehicles," "satellites," "uniforms" or "first aid kits." He described the idea as potentially "like a Silicon Valley for defence manufacturing in Western Australia." He also said the government aimed to make the defence industry the second biggest contributor to the state's economy after the resources sector.
Cook, when asked by a journalist whether he was "happy" to become "an arms dealer," replied, "I'm a jobs dealer, I'm about establishing jobs." Asked about community unease around WA manufacturing "deadly weapons" like missiles, he said, "Western Australia's got a manufacturing industry that deals with highly flammable, explosive substances all the time," and added, "This is no different and obviously all of these industries would make sure they undertake their practices in a safe way."
The Town Being Recast for the War Economy
Collie has been flagged as a possible location for the hub as the state seeks to shift the town away from coal-fired power and into new industries including renewable energy, manufacturing and tourism. Papalia said Collie had "a really highly skilled workforce transitioning out of coal-fired power," and said there were "some 1,300 workers there who are highly skilled and potentially could be the source of workers for this activity," along with industrial sites and industrial areas that were potentially suitable.
Collie Shire President Ian Miffling said Papalia visited town last week to scope out its suitability. Miffling said, "I wouldn't get too excited about whether it's missiles or hand grenades, it's ... about all sorts of equipment," and added, "It's all very broad at this stage." He said there was a rail line from the town down to the Port of Bunbury for export. The language of transition sits neatly beside the reality that the town’s labor and infrastructure are being lined up for military supply chains, with the state deciding which industries deserve support and which workers are expected to adapt.
Australia already has its first missile assembly facility in South Australia, launched in December, and a second factory is to be built in New South Wales. The WA proposal would add another node to that expanding weapons network, with the government openly seeking companies to plug into it.
Security for the Conference, Not for the People
There was a heavy police presence in and around the event, which was attended by senior military brass. In addition to police at entrances, officers roamed the venue, and anyone approaching the convention centre was warned police had the power to search them. The scene offered its own tidy demonstration of who gets to move freely when military industry is being sold to the public and who gets watched, searched and managed.
Not everyone in the political class was sold on the pitch. Liberal MP Steve Thomas described the bid as a "thought bubble." He said, "If you're going to start creating this sort of military technology, you need a highly secure area, you need support networks," and added, "It's not the case for example, [that] those people working in the coal mining industry are suddenly going to become IT specialists in the military sector."
Greens MP Sophie McNeill released a statement saying WA "must not become a home for murderous global weapons manufacturers." She said, "This will do nothing for the community and will only line the pockets of foreign arms companies; it is not the future we want for our beautiful part of the world." The statement pointed to the familiar pattern: public land, public labor and public infrastructure being bent toward private arms firms while the people told it is all for jobs are left to absorb the risk, the disruption and the long-term cost.