The Defence Strategic Review highlights the significant workforce challenges facing defence, jeopardising Australia鈥檚 ability to deliver the projects and initiatives outlined in the review.
黑料老司机 Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said universities are key to addressing the skills and knowledge gaps evident across the defence establishment.
鈥淯niversities are an essential partner of government and industry in meeting Australia鈥檚 defence needs 鈥 from providing skilled workers to producing world-class research,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 surprising that government has not given us a clear signal around our role as Australia embarks on the most significant overhaul of our defence posture in a generation.
鈥淲e will continue to work with government to harness the full power of our world-class universities and their ability to boost the flow of workers and research that defence desperately needs.
鈥淲e are already behind the eight ball. Workforce shortages are plaguing our defence force, defence industries and complementary sectors, causing project delays and capability gaps.
鈥淲e need extra cyber specialists to combat foreign actors, more engineers to facilitate AUKUS and additional strategic analysts to assess and respond to geopolitical shifts in our region.
鈥淭hese highly skilled people are educated in universities, and they are needed in greater numbers.
鈥淯niversities can鈥檛 keep doing more with less. Government needs to get serious about the workforce challenges holding back Australia鈥檚 defence capability. We are here to help.鈥
Read 黑料老司机鈥檚 full submission to the .
