Back in December last year (2007) Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research announced the establishment of an $82 million Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) – to drive innovation in Defence technology.
"The Centre will deliver improved armour protection for military personnel carriers – vital for the protection of Australian troops deployed around the world – and new high-tech materials for use in major Defence acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Fighter," Mr Snowdon said. Today, 17 June 2008, The Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the Hon. Warren Snowdon MP, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr and the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, the Hon. Greg Combet AM MP announced that the DMTC is incorporated and ready to start.While the Press Release is full of buzz terms like "innovation" "brightest talents" technology research" "social and environmental", a closer look at it gives a bit more of a clue as to its real purpose.This is a co-operative research centre, while the Austral;ian Government is putting in $30 million, companies are putting in an additional $52 million. The companies include:
- BaE systems, the largest weapons manufacturer in Europe
- Thales Australia, who on their website include in their product range "guided weapons systems", "munitions", "explosives" & "propellants".
- GKN aerospace, subcontractors to BAE, Boeing & Lockheed Martin (the three largest arms manufacturers on the planet) amongst others,
- ANSTO, just to jog your memory, "The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation"
The Press Release goes on to announce that a Dr Mark Hodge has been appointed CEO of the Centre. A quick squizz at Mark Hodge on the web, tells us that he was the CEO of Australian Aerospace and Defence Innovations Ltd (AADI) who claim a "special mandate as an independent, expert agency to connect Australian industry with international partners & customers and to expedite opportunities for commercial exploitation of Australian technologies in the global defence and aerospace sectors. "Mark Hodge also "led the Victorian Government's Commercialisation team during 2003, during the development of a new technology commercialisation support program, prior to setting up AADI." while on the far right political comment website henrythornton.com (where he published an article advocating Australia's potential to increase its military aerospace exports) his bio talks of his work in defence & aerospace in the US and Australia. But really, you don't need to delve this far from the Press Release which goes on to include "high-tech materials for use in major Defence acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Fighter" as one of the hoped for outcomes of the DMTC. Of telling importance is the end of the Release "the Centre’s establishment is on schedule, making it the shortest timeframe for an organisation of this nature to be established". That's right, it'll take years to get rid of some of the Howrd Government's anti worker laws, it'll take years to address public health, we need a reasonable timeframe to get out of Iraq, but a major new military research facility can be conceptualised, funded and up and running within 7 months of the new Government taking office. Good one Kev!
