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The Federal Government has pledged three quarters of a billion dollars to build around 300 Bushmasters in Victoria over the next seven years.
With 268 reserved for the Australian Army, and the remainder slated for the Netherlands, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says this will be the largest order at the facility in almost three decades.
"This announcement of a combined order of almost 300 vehicles, when you combine our order and the Dutch order, we're ordering almost 300 vehicles. That locks in the future of 300 workers, direct employees for the next seven years. That is the single biggest order for Thales Bendigo since 1999, single biggest order in 27 years, locking in 300 direct jobs and 1000s through the supply chain, making the best protected mobility vehicle in the world, bar none."
The release of the 2026 National Defence Strategy saw the government commit to increase defence spending to $53 billion over the next decade.
Alongside a $450 million investment towards upgrades of the Hawkei protected mobility vehicles , Defence Minister Richard Marles says the spend is fulfilling a key pillar of the strategy.
"What this means is that we are fulfilling the statement and ambition of the national defence strategy to create a more amphibious army, but to create a more agile and mobile Army, and that's what this $1.2 billion investment in these capabilities will do."
The government says the production of this new order vehicles will come in addition to those already being built to replace ones gifted to Ukraine.
With nine countries around the world already utilising the Australian mobility vehicle in their defence forces, Richard Marles says the new deal with the Netherlands provides further security for local industry.
"This is a real example of the power of sovereign capability for our defense force, but also the power of Australia's defence industry. Because not only does it contribute to our sovereign capability in exporting Bushmasters around the world, be it Indonesia or Ukraine or now the Netherlands. This is taking Australian capability to the world, and it absolutely increases our diplomatic space as we work with countries around the world and they see Australian expertise."
Projected to secure at least 300 direct jobs over the next seven years, Pat Conroy says thousands more will be created through the supply chains.
"Aussie made steel in Illawarra going to Broadmeadows to be shaped into that beautiful V shape, that is one of the key drivers of why no one has lost their lives in explosions while they've been in a Bushmaster to then manufacture here in Bendigo, this is the Australian defense industry at its best, protecting Australian troops lives and putting food on the table their family for another seven years."
Australia's National Defence Strategy also outlined how modern warfare is changing how countries defend themselves.
With technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and autonomous drone warfare rapidly evolving, Mr Conroy says the new fleet of Bushmasters will be more adaptable to modifications.
"It's got more power. What you're seeing with modern warfare is everything needs more power, more computing. So the next generation will have more power. It will also have modifications at the back, which means you can swap in and out modules more effectively. Thales can provide more details later on. But they're two of the key modifications is greater power, because one thing we'll be fitting onto these is remote weapon stations to deal with drones, including directed energy weapons, lasers, for want of a better word."
