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Andrew Fletcher
Planning for new growth...new jobs, new industry
The opening in February 2010 of the $400 million
Techport Australia development at Osborne was a
reminder that development of the state’s defence
industry is going to provide a major boost to the Port
Adelaide Enfield economy.
Techport Australia, which includes the largest ship
lift in the southern hemisphere, is a shipbuilding
facility built initially to service the $8 billion air
warfare destroyer (AWD) contract. However the
Government, which believes this will become the
nation’s naval industry hub, is also keen to run it as a
commercial facility for other shipping contracts, both
naval and civil.
The site includes a 35ha supplier precinct for
sub-contractors to establish operations on site and
develop strong and efficient supply chains, which is
set to boost local supplier input into the
overall operation.
“The project most importantly is providing
significant opportunities for local companies to
compete for supply contracts to the AWD project
and also for the supporting infrastructure and
property development requirements,” says Defence
SA Chief Executive Andrew Fletcher.
“Techport Australia represents our long-term
investment into the future of naval ship and
submarine consolidation in South Australia and is
the linchpin in our plan to capture even more
naval work.”
“We already know that the next generation of
submarines will be assembled in Adelaide and we
are aggressively pursuing Future Frigates activities,
as well as targeting a fourth Air Warfare Destroyer.”
“Indisputably, the AWD project is transformational
for South Australia’s economy, with huge economic
benefits, conservatively estimated in excess of $1.4
billion dollars over the next 10 years, about to flow.
The AWD project alone will create over 3000 direct
and indirect jobs in South Australia.”
Many of those jobs will go to people living in the Port
Adelaide Enfield area, causing flow-on opportunities
for local retailers and service suppliers, which is
one of the reasons Port Adelaide Enfield Council is
working closely with both the State Government and
local developers to maximise local benefits.
“Projects such as Techport Australia also highlight
Port Adelaide Enfield’s advantages in terms of access
to the national transport network including road,
rail and deep sea port,” says Port Adelaide Enfield
Director of Corporate Services Mark McShane.
“Port Adelaide Enfield has been undergoing, and
will continue to undergo, a number of changes
and developments that will ensure it continues to
strengthen its position in the metropolitan economy.”
Mark said another example of the sort of
development the city was encouraging was the $170
million Gepps Cross Homemaker Centre, the largest
in Australia providing 60,000sq m of retail space.
“There hadn’t really been a centre of this magnitude
considered before now,” says the state manager of
Axiom Properties, Paul Rouvray. “You’re only 10km
from the CBD, connecting with the northern and
eastern suburbs as well as the port and the western
suburbs. They all congregate at
Gepps Cross.”
Paul said the centre, on the former Gepps Cross
abattoirs site, had been rezoned through “great
support from Government and Council”, especially
for the major shopping precinct.
Mark McShane points out that Council’s strong
emphasis on sustainable development such as this is
reflected in its 2010-2016 City Plan, which sets out
what Council believes it can do to support economic
growth in the city.
“We have great opportunities for industrial and
commercial development in our city,” Mark says, “and
one of Council’s roles is to ensure this takes place in a
planned, efficient and appropriate manner.”
A Strong & Diverse Economy