HON ROGER COOK MP
Premier; Minister for State and Industry Development, Jobs and Trade; Public Sector Management; Federal-State Relations
On behalf of the people of Western Australia, I extend a very warm welcome to all delegates, exhibitors, and visitors to the 2024 Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference.
As Australia’s gateway to the Indian Ocean, Western Australia is an increasingly important strategic hub.
The nation rightly depends on Western Australia to strengthen safety, security, and prosperity along the Indian Ocean rim.
Western Australia represents around 11 per cent of the national population. Yet our trade represents 47 per cent of Australia’s total exports of goods.
Last year, exports from Western Australia totalled over $263 billion, which included over 1.3 billion tonnes of sea freight.
The majority of this trade transits through our sea lines of communication, via critically important shipping lanes to our north, before finally arriving in the ports of our trading partners.
Western Australia is proud to be the home of the AUKUS partnership, hosting US and UK submarines and developing Australia’s own capability in nuclear powered submarine sustainment.
From our own Australian Marine Complex, Western Australia has undertaken industrial maintenance and sustainment work on its Collins class submarine fleet for more than three decades.
Western Australia has the most highly skilled industrial workforce in the nation, courtesy of our world-leading resources industry, with a suite of skillsets readily transferrable to the defence industry.
The Western Australian Government has identified the growth and support of naval shipbuilding and sustainment as one of eight key priority sectors needed to develop and diversify the Western Australian economy.
Western Australians are immensely proud of the responsibility we have been handed at the forefront of the AUKUS nuclear submarine optimal pathway and are eager to demonstrate to the world the maturity and capability of our people and industry.
I welcome you all to Western Australia and wish you a happy and productive time here in the West.
HON PAUL PAPALIA MP
Minister for Police; Corrective Services; Defence Industry; Veterans Issues
Welcome to the third Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference.
Featuring brand new highlights including a careers expo, innovation awards and a greatly expanded trade show to highlight Western Australian defence industry capabilities, IODS 2024 offers much more than just strategic insight into our region.
IODS 2024 offers a pivotal platform to explore opportunities for further engagement among QUAD partners, international governments, and the defence industry.
We are joined by our partners around the Indian Ocean and further afield who understand that shared peace and prosperity for our region will only come from greater cooperation, dialogue, and connectivity.
Western Australia, and the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, through Defence West, proudly hosts this event, underscored by the State's position at the forefront of Australia’s pathway to AUKUS.
The significance of the event is marked by the attendance of several senior leaders from our AUKUS partners, including: Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy; Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy; and Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, Chief of Navy, Royal Australian Navy. In addition Admiral Ryo Sakai, Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy are attending ensuring attendees mirror the conference theme of “AUKUS Meets The Quad.”
Our partnership with the Perth USAsia Centre remains crucial in the IODS program's success. This year's program reflects the strategic importance of Western Australia in promoting Indo-Pacific peace and stability and filled with high-profile speakers and engaging topics.
Thank you for joining us in Western Australia, and I look forward to seeing you all at IODS 2024!
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC)