The NSW Government has appointed a former Royal Australian Navy Commodore to drive efforts to grow the State's defence industry.
Commodore Peter Scott (Retd) has been appointed as the director of Defence NSW, the new centralised government body within the Department of Industry charged with coordinating NSW defence industry efforts.
“I congratulate CDRE Scott on his appointment which will ensure NSW is well positioned to fully support Defence and grow our industry and jobs now and into the future,” NSW Minister for Industry Niall Blair said.
“CDRE Scott brings outstanding leadership to the role of establishing Defence NSW and implementing our NSW Defence and Industry Strategy across our State.”
CDRE Scott is a highly regarded military officer who recently retired from full time naval service after a distinguished career of more than 34 years that included multiple command appointments at sea and ashore.
His operational service included multiple Special Operations with the Submarine Arm as well as active service in Iraq, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007.
As the Director General (Submarines) since 2013, CDRE Scott led efforts in the Navy’s highly successful Submarine Enterprise in a period of unprecedented expansion and exceptional performance.
CDRE Scott, who commences the new role in June 2017, said he was excited by the challenges ahead.
“I look forward to establishing the Defence NSW team and working in close partnership with the Australian Defence Force, Defence Industry, and our universities and research institutions to support Defence and drive greater investment and innovation in NSW.
“One key priority is to work closely with the defence industries and other key stakeholders to develop focused implementation plans that underpin the recently released NSW Defence and Industry Strategy.
“The Strategy is focused on supporting Defence in achieving its objectives and driving growth in the defence industries.
“This includes enabling better participation of NSW businesses in domestic and global supply chains and increasing competitiveness through collaboration between industry and research institutions.
“A key part is working closely with the Commonwealth and other States and Territories to adopt a truly national approach in delivering Defence and industry outcomes,” he said.