Industry Support

The defence sector is a priority industry for Victoria. The Victorian Government seeks to grow and strengthen the State’s defence SME industry base and leverage its strengths in R&D, science and technology, and skilled engineering to win more defence work and secure major opportunities.

The Victorian Government provides ongoing support for several key initiatives including industry development programs, subsidised attendance at major trade shows and funding to enhance the state’s defence R&D capabilities.

The Defence and Aerospace team at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions is available to discuss your business needs. For further information how the Victorian Government can support your business, please get in touch with us at defence@ecodev.vic.gov.au.

Exhibit on the Victorian Government Pavilion at AVALON Airshow, Indo Pacific and Land Forces

The Victorian Government Pavilion hosts up to 28 local businesses at each major domestic defence trade show (Avalon Airshow, Indo Pacific and Land Forces). The Pavilion offers a large, high profile exhibition space for Victorian industry to showcase their capability to key decision makers.

Find out more about how you can exhibit on the Victorian Government Pavilion on the Victorian Defence Events page.

Investment Support

The Victorian Government’s Defence and Aerospace Team works closely with new market entrants and expanding local companies to help them establish and grow a physical presence in the state.

The Victorian Government will provide a dedicated project team to assist potential market entrants by:

Providing introductions to players in the defence and industry ecosystem and innovation partners with specialised industry and research expertise
Considering potential support packages for your project
Providing a concierge service for site selection and facilitating approvals for development of proposed site
Supporting a pipeline of skills development and talent attraction
Supporting global exports and linkages with Victorian overseas offices.

Smart Enough Factory Program

The Victorian Government is supporting local defence industry companies to transform their operations by deploying digital technologies to drive value and productivity – spearheading their competitive advantage.

In 2021, the Victorian Government announced $1.3 million for the Smart Enough Factory program to support small to medium-sized businesses in Victoria’s defence industry to modernise their design and manufacturing processes.

Delivered by DMTC Limited, the program aims to boost digital and Industry 4.0 capabilities. It does this by using advances in data-driven production to enhance businesses’ operational performance and manufacturing productivity, leading to more efficient processes and significant cost savings.

The program will also take on up to eight undergraduate or postgraduate interns annually from Victorian universities to provide technical support and offer them valuable work experience, defence industry exposure and possible future employment.

The pilot program commenced with Victorian businesses, Australian Precision Technologies, APV Corporation, AW Bell, Heat Treatment Australia, and Ronson Gears.

The full-scale roll-out of the program has commenced, with up to 20 Victorian businesses participating each year.

Learn more about the Smart Enough Factory program.

Victorian businesses can register their interest to participate in the program.

Defence Science Institute

The Victorian Government provides funding for the Defence Science Institute to develop Victoria's defence science and technology capabilities through the facilitation of defence science-focused collaboration between universities, other research organisations and industry.

The Defence Science Institute provides a range of services, including research grants, industry internships and networking opportunities for Victoria’s defence sector.

For more information, please visit the Defence Science Institute website

Other Victorian State Government support

Global Victoria is the State Government’s premier trade facilitation agency and gateway to international economies and networking communities. Victoria has an international network of 23 Victorian Government Trade and Investment offices located in key export markets. For more information see the Global Victoria website.

For a complete list of grants and programs on offer by the Victorian Government, please visit the Business Victoria website

Commonwealth Government Support

The Office of Defence Industry Support provides tailored advice, grants, programs and briefing sessions for businesses in Victoria and across Australia looking to enter or expand into the defence sector. Visit Office of Defence Industry Support

The Naval Shipbuilding College has developed a platform to connect businesses with industry-ready candidates from a range of disciplines. Businesses can post positions and search for industry referral-ready talent who have joined the Workforce Register. The platform is free, user friendly and helps connect businesses with the right candidate in one convenient place.

For further information, please contact workforce@navalshipbuildingcollege.com.au.

For a complete list of grants and programs on offer by the Commonwealth Government, please visit the Business.gov website