BY DAKOTA TAIT
The Hunter Defence Conference is set to get started on Wednesday, bringing together local industry and government to discuss the sector's future in the region.
More than 200 attendees are expected at the event, including at least 80 key businesses - both small and medium enterprises as well as Defence Primes, or key contractors with the Australian Government.
Hunter Defence Taskforce Chair Tim Owen says it's an important opportunity for local business.
"Clearly, we are a major defence region, particularly supporting what happens at the RAAF Base here at Williamtown," he said.
"The ability for small and medium enterprises in our region to be able to display their capabilities and network one-on-one with the major Australian Defence Primes is very important for them. This is one of the very few opportunities that they get to actually do that."
The conference is running until Friday, featuring exhibitions and conversations with speakers, including manufacturers and contractors, Army, Navy, and Air Force, and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy.
They'll discuss defence capability, economic opportunities, innovation, supply chains, and nuclear submarines.
Mr Owen says the world has changed, and it's important to think about what the future looks like.
"A year ago, we were concerned about COVID, and now we find ourselves a land war in Europe that could get to certainly a larger scale," he said.
"The strategic circumstances in our region are certainly driving the current government and the Australian Defence Force to look and say how do we really provide a level of defence for Australia that allows us a very, very strong deterrent capability."
