Under the new plan, key maritime defence sites such as Sydney, Newcastle and Nowra will be used to target new Commonwealth defence contracts.
Keneally said the Federal Government was upgrading the country's defence force and the NSW defence industry was well placed to secure much of this significant investment.
A NSW defence industry survey conducted last year by NSW Defence Advisor former Deputy Chief of Air Force John Blackburn, revealed that companies operating in NSW generated over $1.2 billion in defence work over the past year and employed over 7,000 people in defence-related jobs.
Keneally said the maritime defence plan followed an announcement by the State Government last year that NSW would seek to grow its defence industry, aiming to secure 30 per cent of the Commonwealth's domestic defence spend within a decade and create more than 1,500 new jobs in defence-related industries within four years.
The first step in this plan was the establishment of the Air Combat Capability Hub in Newcastle which will see NSW play a central role in the delivery of new national aviation technology including the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
Boeing will provide support services to the RAAF base at Williamtown for the new RAAF fleet of Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft.
This five-year contract will create more than 100 defence jobs in the Hunter region and contribute more than $800 million to the NSW economy.
See the upcoming February edition of ADM for more details on the NSW Government bid to engage more with Defence and defence industry.