The Thales factory in North Bendigo will keep humming until at least 2033.
This follows the federal government’s purchase of another 268 Bushmaster armoured vehicles for the Australian Defence Force.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy visited the Central Victorian facility on Monday, April 27th to confirm the order, alongside Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters and State MPs Jacinta Allan and Maree Edwards.
Ms Chesters says the investment secures the 300 jobs of Thales’ workforce for the next seven years.
“It’ll allow the site to invest in new apprentices and new equipment to ensure that we continue to manufacture Bushmasters now and into the future,” Ms Chesters told us.
She also revealed the vehicle would be built for an export contract to the Netherlands.
“We’ve seen the success that the Bushmaster has delivered in Ukraine, and we know that the rest of continental Europe is looking to us to be able to supply them with Bushmasters for their armies and for their armed forces,” she said.
In addition to providing certainty to the 300 workers directly employed by Thales, the move also allows the North Bendigo facility to accept new apprentices.
“And that’s exciting news for any of our school-leavers looking for a career in defence manufacturing, but also too people who might want to consider taking on a mature-age apprenticeship and going to work out at Thales,” Ms Chesters said.
A total of $750 million will be spent by the Commonwealth to secure the new vehicles.
Additionally, a further $450 million is being put toward upgrades of the ADF’s existing Rheinmetall trucks and Bendigo-built Hawkei mobility vehicles, to be conducted in Brisbane.
When asked by Gold Central Victoria about the long-term future of Thales locally beyond 2033, Ms Chesters said she would continue lobbying to replace the Bushmasters as they age.
“We have new variants of Bushmasters coming through that are meeting the needs of our modern defence force, and so I hope that as the Australian Defence Force army grows and modifies and modernises, so too will the Bushmaster and that will create the future work for the site,” she said.
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