Weld Australia executives were recently invited to a briefing at Cairncross Dockyard in Brisbane, together with Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles MP and the Member for Griffith, Renee Coffee MP, to discuss reactivation of the shipyard as a model for sovereign capability and workforce innovation.
Weld Australia has thrown its full support behind the project, describing it as a strategically significant initiative that could help reshape how Australia delivers Defence, maritime and major industrial projects.
Weld Australia praised the project's new ownership and leadership team, led by Managing Director of Cairncross Dockyard Brisbane Pty Ltd, Ben Quin, for implementing a practical and forward-thinking operational model that tightly integrates engineering, production methodology, automation and workforce development.
The $2.5 billion privately funded Cairncross Dockyard Brisbane Project has been declared a 'prescribed project' by the Queensland Government. It is expected to create more than 1,000 direct shipyard jobs, with thousands more supported indirectly across advanced manufacturing, steel fabrication and logistics. The redevelopment is intended to re-establish the historic Morningside site as a world-class ship sustainment hub with the potential to support Defence maritime activities in Queensland.
According to Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden, the Cairncross approach reflects exactly the kind of industrial thinking Australia needs to strengthen sovereign manufacturing capability and respond to ongoing skills shortages.
"What is being developed at Cairncross is a practical blueprint for how Australia should approach complex industrial delivery," said Crittenden. "The alignment between engineering design, weld execution, automation and workforce capability is smart, scalable and exactly what is needed to support national infrastructure, maritime sustainment and Defence-aligned work."
Crittenden said one of the most significant aspects of the Cairncross model is its direct connection between engineering requirements and workforce training outcomes.
The project identifies the specific welding procedures required for production and then supports structured training and certification of production welders to ISO 9606-1, creating an accelerated pathway for workers to become job-ready in months rather than years. This model also establishes a clear pathway toward more advanced welding procedures needed for long-term sustainment and visiting vessel work.
"Australia's welding and fabrication workforce challenges are well known. Cairncross is demonstrating a practical solution," Crittenden said. "By linking procedure qualification directly to welder training and certification, the project is creating a workforce model that is faster, more targeted and better aligned to real production needs."
Weld Australia believes this structured approach has national relevance, particularly across Defence, maritime and heavy industry sectors where labour shortages and capability gaps continue to constrain growth.
"The Cairncross project demonstrates that when engineering, production planning and workforce development are connected from the outset, you can build capability in a way that is both commercially realistic and strategically valuable."
Crittenden said the broader public context around Cairncross also matters. "This is a major industrial project with real scale, real private investment and real workforce potential," he said. "When you combine that with the project's focus on ship sustainment, advanced manufacturing and structured skills development, it becomes highly relevant as a model for future industrial development in Australia."
The Cairncross Dockyard project should be viewed as a highly relevant case study for future industrial development in Australia, particularly as the country seeks to expand sovereign capability in Defence and maritime sectors.
"This is the kind of initiative Australia should be backing," Crittenden said. "It is practical, it is aligned to real industrial demand, and it strengthens the sovereign skills base we are going to need for decades to come."
The Cairncross Dockyard project will include the construction of a large-scale graving dock, a 12,000-tonne hydraulic chain jack vertical ship lift, a 1,200-tonne crawler crane, new and expanded wharves, and critical power and water infrastructure. Once complete, the facility will be equipped to perform on-water and out-of-water vessel maintenance, ensuring vessels are ready to meet operational challenges.
About us:
Weld Australia represents the welding profession in Australia. Its members are made up of individual welding professionals and companies of all sizes. Weld Australia members are involved almost every facet of Australian industry and make a significant contribution to the nation's economy. The primary goal of Weld Australia is to ensure that the Australian welding industry remains locally and globally competitive, both now and into the future. Weld Australia is the Australian representative member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW).
