Defence industry

Minutes from the heart of Rockingham, Fleet Base West is located at HMASStirling on Garden Island and is the Royal Australian Navy’s largest base in Australia. 

At present, 12 fleet units including Anzac Class frigates and Collins Class submarines are stationed here, along with an additional 70 units including the Submarine Training and Systems Centre, Submarine Escape Training Facility (one of only six in the world), Clearance Diving Team Four, and the Defence Communications Station Perth.

Under the planned Navy Capability Infrastructure Sub-Program, HMAS Stirling will become homeport to additional Hunter Class frigates, Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels and SSN-AUKUS class submarines when they come into service. This will result in significant expansion, sustainment and maintenance opportunities in the coming years.

As part of the AUKUS program announced in March 2023, HMAS Stirling will continue to be the home of Australian submarines. The base will be receiving frequent port visits from the UK and US nuclear-powered submarines (SSN) from the second half of 2023, rotational presence from as early as 2027 and housing of Australia's first SSN capability - the US Virginia class submarine from the early 2030s. 

The Australian Government will invest up to $8 billion over the next decade to expand HMAS Stirling, creating around 3,000 direct jobs and in turn, supporting growth of the local economy. This includes wharf upgrades, operational maintenance, logistics and training facilities, and other opportunities for supporting infrastructure outside of HMAS Stirling.

There are three parts to this initiative:

• Part 1 - the City of Rockingham has been running a series of workshops and events to support local businesses to become Defence Ready. In-person workshops were designed to provide need-to-know information and critical insights to help businesses prepare and tender for work in the Defence supply chain.
• Part 2 - a series of events were designed to meet with key leaders to assess up and coming projects, pitfalls and opportunities, collate the knowledge, and give local businesses firsthand networking opportunities.
• Part 3 - the Defence Industry Update is an event designed to provide a short, sharp, updated briefing of the outcomes from parts 1 and 2. Presented by key stakeholders within the Defence and defence-related industry supply chain, this initiative provides opportunity for local businesses to find out more about the up and coming work available in the local area.

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To further support local businesses to participate in the estimated $8 billion infrastructure projects set to occur at HMAS Stirling (Fleet Base West) on Garden Island, the City has partnered with the Rockingham Kwinana Chamber of Commerce (RKCC) to deliver the City of Rockingham WA Defence Forum 2025opens in a new windowopens in a new window on 30 April 2025 at Gary Holland Community Centre. 

Key topics set for this year's event include:

• Defence in WA and the opportunities for Rockingham - government perspective
• Profile of the Defence industry in Rockingham and potential future opportunities - industry perspective
• How to enter into the Defence industry supply chain - key learnings for local SMEs.

For more information on how you can participate, contact RKCC on 9592 3333 or email: admin@rkcc.org.au 

• The Office of Defence Industry Supportopens in a new windowopens in a new window (ODIS; formerly the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, or CDIC) is a Federal Government organisation tasked with helping small business connect, build, innovate and export in the defence industry.
• Defence Westopens in a new windowopens in a new window is a State Government organisation responsible for growing the local defence industry and advocating and driving strategic projects to increase the capability and output of WA’s defence industry. 
• The Australian Submarine Agencyopens in a new windowopens in a new window (ASA) was established on 1 July 2023 to safely and securely acquire, construct, deliver, technically govern, sustain and dispose of Australia's conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarine capability for Australia, via the AUKUS partnership.