AMDA Online will be hosting representatives from the Australian Department of Defence, UK Ministry of Defence, US Department of State, US Department of Defense and US Department of Commerce to present on the new AUKUS trilateral licence-free environment for defence exports. 

  

This will include detailed presentations and insightful discussions about: 

·         Australia’s national exemption for the UK and US provided under the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024; 

·         The UK’s national exemption for Australia and the US provided under its draft AUKUS Open General Export Licence; and 

·         The US’ national exemption for Australia and the UK from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations. 

  

This event is designed to offer the industry, higher education and research sectors – the ones utilising these exemptions – withthe knowledge and practical understanding of the new legislation and exemptions. With trilateral consultation of each partner’s exemptions underway until 31 May 2024, it will also facilitate meaningful discussion and consultation with stakeholders to gain insights into their interests and concerns, and ensure the licence-free environment is fit-for-purpose. 

The briefing will be held in Adelaide on 20 May and in Sydney on 21 May 2024. There is also the option to attend the briefings online. 

    

Export Licence Free Environment for AUKUS Trilateral Nations  

- Adelaide 

1000 to 1200 ACST 
Monday 20 May 2024 
Adelaide Convention Centre in City Rooms 1& 2 

Please register your attendance via the link below. 
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/ba02a74e274e4bb8a5409520ac1fc741 

 

The event will also be livestreamed to a virtual audience.
Please note that you will not have an opportunity to ask questions online.

If you wish to attend the meeting online, please register via the following link: 

https://shorturl.at/bxamh

Export Licence Free Environment for AUKUS Trilateral Nations  
– Sydney 

1000 to 1200 AEST 
Tuesday 21 May 2024 
International Convention Centre in Rooms C4.9 & C4.10  

Please register your attendance via the link below. 
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/3d5ee3b985b84b9a8f1c538d365f445d 

The event will also be livestreamed to a virtual audience.
Please note that you will not have an opportunity to ask questions online. 

 

If you wish to attend the meeting online, please register via the following link:
https://shorturl.at/dI2qS

The Space Industry Association of Australia is pleased to announce their Victorian IAC2025 (the 76th International Astronautical Congress) Space Sector Workshop on the 30th of April!

The Victorian space community is invited to join an industry workshop to help SIAA shape the IAC2025. This workshop is a great opportunity for those in the Space sector.

Please email operations@spaceindustry.com.au to register your interest.

Expressions of Interest are now open to participate in the Australian industry delegation to Farnborough International Airshow 2024 (FIA 24) held at Farnborough, UK from 22-26 July 2024.  

Interested companies can apply to attend by completing the EOI form by 11:59pm AEST Friday,12 April 2024, through the ICN webpage here. (https://gateway.icn.org.au/project/4553/34154/x#wp_34154). 

Companies are reminded to submit their EOI by the closing date (12th April 2024), as TDA (Team Defence Australia) is unlikely to extend or re-open these opportunities. 

As part of the TDA delegation, companies will receive free space on the custom-built national pavilion, providing a platform to showcase and demonstrate your capabilities face-to-face with the foreign delegations, and industry partners. Additionally, delegates will receive services to maximise participation at the show, including; pre-event support, market advice and business-to-business matching through Austrade's network of business advisers. 

As part of the Australian Defence Export Office, TDA is the national platform for Australian defence industry to showcase their goods, services, technologies and solutions at international trade events. 

For companies selected to attend an international trade show as part of the TDA industry delegation, TDA will provide: 

• Free space on the custom-built TDA pavilion 

• Exhibitor passes 

• Pre-event support and advice 

• Senior Military support and advocacy 

• Access to facilities and meeting rooms 

• Briefings, networking and B2B matching 

• On-site support from TDA representatives at the trade show 

Companies wishing to join a TDA delegation as an ‘Exhibitor’ are requested to commit at least two attendees to the show to ensure they have a presence on the pavilion at all times. This will be strictly enforced where TDA Exhibitor capacity is over-subscribed. 

For further information, please see the document below. 

TDA Information for Companies_2024.pdf 

You can learn more about TDA (Team Defence Australia) (https://www.defence.gov.au/business-industry/Export/team-defence-australia). 
 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the teamdefence.australia@defence.gov.au.

Make sure your organisation has a profile on
the VDSN Members Directory.

If you do not have a profile live before this time, your organisation may miss the opportunity of being promoted in the Victorian Governement Capability Directories as well as free advertising on the VDSN website. 

Read this post to learn:

What is the Company Rep membership level?

Previously known as the 'Network Delegate' this has since been renamed to 'Company Rep'.

The person from your organisation who is this membership
level is responsible for: 
- Maintaining their organisation's profile
- Uploading a Quad Chart (click the link to learn more about Quad Charts) 

To ensure no duplicate data entry or accidental data-loss, each organisation is limited to 1 Company Rep only. Who this person is remains entirely up to the organisation. As a guide, someone typically experienced with Marketing, Business Development, or Sales experience, as well as experience with Defence is an ideal candidate. 

Once completed and live on the VDSN Members Directory, your organisation's profile will be promoted by the Victorian Government in Capability Directories used at tradeshows such as LandForces, Indo Pacific, and the Avalon Airshow. These Capability Directories will showcase the incredible skills and resources that Victoria has to offer. 

It is crucial for all Victorian businesses to be aware that not having a profile is a missed opportunity for promotion in Victoria's Capability Directories.

Leading up to the next tradeshow (LandForces: 11-13 September 2024), members must ensure their organisation profile is live on the VDSN Members Directory.

Follow the steps listed below to ensure your organisation's profile
is live before the above deadline. 

Step 1

Does your organisation have an existing profile
in the VDSN Members Directory? 

First, check the Members Directory to see if your
organisation is already listed.

If you do not see your organisation, please proceed to Step 2. 

Step 2

Does your organisation already have a Company Rep?

The Company Rep is the person responsible for maintaining their organisation's profile on the VDSN website. Please note that each organisation is limited to only 1 Company Rep who will manage their online profile - this is to ensure there is no duplicate entries or accidental data loss.

- If you wish to change your membership level to be the Company Rep, please proceed to Step 3. 

- If the current Company Rep is no longer with your organisation, the Company Rep membership level can be swapped to a different user. Contact the VDSN manager if you require assistance with this.

- Ask your team if you are unsure who the Company Rep is. If they are unsure of where to find this information, you can access your Profile page and see your current membership level. 

Step 3

How to change your membership level

If your membership level isn't currently 'Company Rep' and you wish to
change it to this level, follow the steps below. 

Note: you must be logged in to VDSN first and additional information is required when changing to a Company Rep level - this information once entered is automatically used to populate their organisation's profile on the VDSN Members Directory. 

Option A 
Follow the prompts on this page: Membership Level Change. 
Ensure you select 'Company Rep' and then click 'Next'.

If it lists 'Professional Member' instead, more than likely, your membership level is already a Company Rep. 

Option B 
Click here to access your user profile and scroll down to where it reads: 'Membership level', directly below the Membership Card. 
Click 'Change'. A new screen will load. 
Select 'Company Rep' and follow the prompts.

Option C
Click the top-right icon, above the main navigation bar.
A small grey box will open below, click View Profile. 

Once your profile page loads, it will look similar to the screenshot above. Below your Membership Card, you will see your Membership Level. Click Change if you wish to change your membership level.

Do you still have questions?

- Check the FAQs, your question may have already been answered.
If you don't see your question there, you can submit your query by following the prompts on the FAQs page.

- Follow the VDSN social media accounts to stay up to date.

The Defence and Industry Study Course (DISC) is a seven-month course delivered by Defence and attended by ADF members, defence industry and Federal and State agencies.

The course costs $11,000 GST inclusive. DISC 2024 applications closed 5pm Friday 1st March 2024.

Victorian Government Support for DISC 2024

DISC provides unparalleled access to Defence and the sector for industry. The benefits for industry to attend are invaluable and the Victorian Government is offering funding of up to $5,500 excluding GST for attendance of employees of eligible businesses.

The process for seeking Victorian Government assistance is separate to applying to Defence to attend DISC. Victorian defence SMEs that have submitted applications to Defence for staff to attend DISC 2024 can also apply for Victorian government financial assistance for staff to attend the course. These applications will be assessed against a set of program guidelines following Defence advice on the final panel for the course.

Please note:

• The Victorian government is offering funds of up $5,500 excluding GST (or 50% of the course fee) for up to five participants from eligible Victorian businesses to attend DISC.
• To apply for Victorian Government assistance the participants and businesses must have submitted an application to Defence to attend DISC 2024.

The application form to apply for Victorian Government assistance to attend DISC 2024 is attached below.

Application form - Victorian Government support to attend DISC 2024.docx

Application form - Victorian Government support to attend DISC 2024.pdf

All applications for Victorian Government assistance must be submitted to defence@ecodev.vic.gov.au and applications close 5pm Friday 29 March 2024.

Find out more about DISC: Defence and Industry Study Course 2024 | Defence

Find out more about Victorian Government industry support programs (including DISC 2024): Industry grants and support | Industry support | Defence

The Defence Industry Study Course (DISC 2024) promotes collaboration and engagement between Defence and Industry to: 

- Enhance defence capability outcomes 

 - Contribute to national security objectives 

The course aims to improve the skills of current leaders, project managers, and senior executives working within businesses that supply the Australian Defence Force (ADF).  

Applications to attend DISC 2024 have opened 

Course details, requirements and costs are outlined at the following Defence webpage: Defence and Industry Study Course 2024 

Companies interested in sponsoring the attendance of staff must apply directly to Defence. 

Applicants can apply using the AF117 nomination form available on the Defence website's DISC Course page. 

Please note, that applications must be submittedno later than5pm AEST Friday 1 March 2024.  

Queries about the course can be directed to Defence at the following email: casg.disc@defence.gov.au

Digital Jobs for Manufacturing is an upskilling program that provides Victorian manufacturing businesses access to digital skills training for their staff.

Training courses are fully subsidised and valued at up to $5,000 each. Online training is delivered by leading training providers, on a part-time basis over 12 weeks - allowing staff to continue to work whilst studying.

To read more about the upskilling program guidelines, frequently asked questions & case studies click here.

New Courses Commencing in March 2024

VDSN event a huge success.

We are thrilled to share the overwhelming success of our first VDSN event! 

Held recently at the Novotel on Collins, the energy in the room was really high as we welcomed an incredible turnout of 150 company representative.

A heartfelt thank you to the Victorian Government and AIDN executives for their support in making this event a resounding success. It's truly a testament to the strength and passion of our Victorian Defence and Space community that we had such a fantastic response.

The information evening and program showcase gave us the perfect opportunity to connect, collaborate, and explore new opportunities in the Defence and Space industries as well as get a little more insight to what the program has in store. The VDSN is a Victorian Government endorsed initiative and is unique in its design, membership model and collaborative approach. The enthusiasm and engagement from everyone in attendance were inspiring, and we are excited about the potential collaborations and partnerships that will emerge from this event.

Stay tuned for more updates on future events and initiatives as we continue to build a vibrant and thriving community within the VDSN network. We couldn't have achieved this without your support, and we're incredibly grateful for each and every one of you who joined us at the event. We can't stop there though, it is through growing membership that we are able to truly scale this brand new and innovative program around the state.

We have had some great initial feedback and we are right now designing the initial member forum zone, refining our events calendar and designing more great features already suggested by members (Stay tuned, most of the ideas proposed have already been resourced!).

It is easy and free to join the VDSN, so please refer someone in your network today. We encourage SME to bring project partners, suppliers and clients into the network for greater situational awareness, collaboration support and visibility.

Due to overwhelming demand, the event on 24 Aug is sold out. We have increased capacity twice but are now at the capacity limit of the venue. 

We have received a number of emails asking about a wait list and we have started a list. Is you missed out on tickets please email manager@vdsn.org to be added.

We will contact everyone by COB Thursday 17th if we have any tickets available.

Thank you for the support.

VDSN Manager

The Victorian Government has opened applications for the Victorian Land Systems Fund - Supply Chain Uplift Program. The program will build businesses’ capabilities so they can help Hanwha deliver the Commonwealth Government’s $1 billion Land 8116 Self-Propelled Howitzer program.

Eligible businesses can apply for funding of between $2,000 and $100,000 (exc. GST) to undertake a range of business improvement activities.

To apply and for more information visit the Business Victoria website.

Non-Victorian businesses that are interested in establishing operations in Victoria to participate in the Land 8116 program and are seeking investment facilitation support can apply for funding via the Victorian Land Systems Fund - Supply Chain Investment Program stream, by contacting us at defence@ecodev.vic.gov.au.