HunterNet is a founder of the Hunter Defence Task Force and plays an active role in developing the strategy and objectives that guide the task force. A key part of the task force is the annual Hunter Defence Conference which connects Hunter-based defence industry including primes and small to medium enterprises with Defence, State and Federal government agencies and national industry.

How many members in your industry cooperative work in the defence space?

HunterNet has 130 members and many of these participate in the defence as well as other industries. We are fortunate to have Patron Members who are key primes in the defence industry. This provides a pathway for HunterNet to facilitate collaboration between our members at all levels of the supply chain. Directly and indirectly, we have around one quarter of our members involved in the defence industry.

What opportunities are on the table for the moment for them in Defence?

There are active projects already in place with HunterNet members delivering products and services to these active projects. We are always hungry for more opportunities and activities like the conference, project forums and activation programs for our members to get involved in to generate real work opportunities. We provide strong advocacy via the key primes and government entities to ensure we have a strong voice for HunterNet, our members and the region.

Hunter Defence was formed to give a unified voice to promote the region's defence capability. What ground has been made to help local manufacturers better position themselves to win supply contracts?

One of the key deliverables for the Hunter Defence task force is to create an environment where entry into the defence opportunities is easier to understand and navigate. At the 2021 Hunter Defence Conference, funding was announced for the Defence Readiness series.

In the 12 months that followed over 80 Hunter-based prospective defence businesses, mainly manufacturers, participated in the program and had the opportunity to understand what the entry requirements are.

What are the main barriers at present that prevent our manufacturers from being more competitive?

Any entry into a new business sector can be challenging and the defence area is no different. We actively help and assist our members to look at their efficiencies, investment, systems, automation, process improvement and relationships so they are set up for success as they move forward and gain involvement in the defence industry. It is a complex industry and the more knowledge you have of systems, processes and policy, the better chance you have of success.

Where are the green shoots for them?

We are seeing some significant opportunities start to emerge, the defence procurement process is typically a case of hills and valleys and it's quite clear that we are actively on the climb out of the last valley. We need as a region to capture these opportunities.

Hunter Defence chair Tim Owen has said that SMEs have the opportunity to "sit with the big primes" and tap into the $270b of government spending on defence in the next decade. Where are these opportunities?

The value of these opportunities is significant, and they are spread across all areas of defence - land, sea, air, information warfare and space. These opportunities are going to filter out over the next decade and beyond so its not a case of having to rush at them but to plan and develop a strategy to demonstrate how and where HunterNet and its members can play an active part.

Skills shortages are rife across industries. How is this impacting the region's manufacturing at present?

We all know that these skills and workforce demands are a pressing issue and there is no silver bullet to resolve this. HunterNet and HunterNet Career Connections are playing their part in trying to help frame the solutions and we have provided our input into the federal Jobs and Skills Summit as a starting catalyst.

What is the state of the region's manufacturing?

Manufacturing is relatively strong in our region, however across all industries and including our members, we are seeing the challenges of retention and recruitment of people; energy prices are having an impact on the cost of manufacturing; and then there are supply chain issues including cost of supply and the need to hold more stock. This means that for our members, and this is reflected across the industry, is that even though revenue is steady or growing, the cost of doing business is having a negative effect on their profitability and cash flow position.

What will be on the table at HunterNet's AGM?

Our key focus is making sure we are listening to and providing the right and correct level of support to our members. We are making sure we focus on active connection and collaboration so the power of many is understood.

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