- Ten WA businesses awarded up to $20,000 each through the Defence Ready Initiative
- Defence Ready Initiative supports WA businesses to build capability, capacity and competitiveness within the defence industry
Ten Western Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will each receive up to $20,000 in grant funding to strengthen their capability and competitiveness in entering defence supply chains.
The successful recipients include several veteranowned businesses and an Indigenous femaleowned business, reflecting the diversity and capability of Western Australia's defence industry.
2025/26 Defence Ready Initiative (DRI) recipients:
- Allship Engineering
- Bunbara
- Decem
- Geo Oceans
- Global Coating Systems
- Marine Inspection Service
- Steelstruct Engineering
- Trident Australia
- United Fluid Power
- VEEM
The grants provide 50 per cent matched funding for eligible project costs, supporting immediate opportunities to supply products and services to the defence market.
Funding will be used to purchase specialised equipment, meet defence security requirements and undertake other readiness activities that position local companies to compete for defence work.
Successful applicants are already demonstrating the benefits of the 2025/26 program, including Allship Engineering. This Henderson-based enterprise is using its DRI support to acquire and commission a specialised CNC forming machine - a computer-controlled metal-forming system used for precise, repeatable shaping of sheet and plate components for defence programs.
This new capability replaces slow, labourintensive manual bending, reduces outsourcing costs, shortens production lead times, and delivers full traceability to meet the tolerance and audit requirements of defence primes.
The investment is also supporting workforce development, allowing Allship - whose workforce includes more than 45 per cent veterans and 15 per cent apprentices - to expand training and employment opportunities.
The impact of the DRI was recently highlighted during a submarine maintenance period for UK nuclearpowered submarine HMS Anson at HMAS Stirling. Senior leaders from the Royal Navy and the UK Submarine Delivery Agency toured DRIsupported facilities at Allship Engineering, Trident Australia and VEEM.
The visit underscores growing international confidence in Western Australia's industrial base and the critical role of local SMEs in supporting complex, highvalue defence programs.
Since its inception in 2020, the DRI has supported 46 Western Australian SMEs in matched funding agreements, assisting businesses to competitively bid for defence supply chain opportunities.
As stated by Defence Industries Minister Paul Papalia:
"Western Australia is home to some of the nation's most capable and innovative businesses, with enormous potential to contribute to both national and global defence ambitions.
"The Defence Ready Initiative ensures WA businesses are wellpositioned to compete for highly specialised defence contracts.
"By building local capability, the program supports economic diversification and strengthens Western Australia's longterm resilience."
