Norwegian company to build missile factory in Newcastle with $850 million in government assistance
A new advanced missile factory will be constructed in Newcastle by Norwegian defence company Kongsberg in partnership with the Albanese government which has pledged up to $850 million for the joint venture.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has announced Kongsberg Defence Australia will manufacture and service Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM) for the Australian Defence Force at the new facility in the Newcastle Airport precinct.
Over 500 construction jobs could eventually be created when work begins on the factory later this year, and it will become one of only two sites globally that’s able to produce the NSM and JSM.
The JSM can be fitted to the RAAF’s F-35 fleet without affecting the aircraft’s stealth characteristics, while the NSM which is a modern anti-ship cruise missile was successfully test-fired off HMAS Sydney last month.
Kongsberg will also become a strategic partner in the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, alongside American owned companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon who were inaugural partners.
New laws to add super to paid parental leave
Parents accessing the government-funded paid parental leave (PPL) scheme will soon be offered superannuation, under legislation to be introduced to parliament this morning.
The scheme will come into effect from July 2025 and would target those on government-funded paid parental leave.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said she was hoped the opposition would get on board.
“They were lukewarm when we annouced it, but I hope that they’ve come around,” she told ABC’s RN Breakfast.
Good morning
Welcome our politics live blog. Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team here to guide you through the day.
It’s the last day of the sitting fortnight. So you know what that means: the government is itching to get its NDIS reform bill through the senate.
It’s been a busy week, So let’s jump right into it.
