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Babcock to move Australian headquarters to Adelaide

Thursday, 14 Jul 2016 08:08:56

Babcock cited a growing SA defence industry as an attraction for being based in Adelaide. (ABC News: Angelique Donnellan)

Engineering support services company Babcock International Group will move its Australasian headquarters to Adelaide from Brisbane, citing a growing defence industry as an attraction.

A $2.5 million South Australian Government grant will support the move, bringing about 48 high-skilled jobs to the state.

Premier Jay Weatherill said it was another part of efforts to reposition the state in high technology industries.

"We are transforming our economy towards a high-tech future and, by making Adelaide their head office in Australasia, Babcock is playing an important part in helping us achieve this," he said.

"This company has had a big role in the past in the Collins class submarine and will have a continuing role in sustaining the Collins class until the Future Submarines project arrives."

Babcock International has operations across 16 countries in defence, nuclear, telecommunications, transport, emergency services, minerals and energy and education industries.

Significant flow-on benefits, Government says

SA Investment and Trade Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said the move was another success story for the state's Investment Attraction Agency.

"Independent analysis by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies estimates the Babcock expansion will have a $19.2 million impact on gross state product in 2016-17, with total employment impact of 137 full-time positions and other significant, long-term benefits," he said.

Babcock Australasia chief executive Craig Lockhart said a growing defence industry helped convince the company of the merits of shifting to Adelaide.

"We can see that there's a great pool of talent in South Australia, particularly in engineering, and there are promising synergies with the significant and growing defence industry," he said.

"South Australia was the logical choice for our new Australasian headquarters and the Babcock Mission Critical Services base because it expands our existing presence here and centralises our helicopter operations in Australia."

Babcock's Mission Critical Services support such things as search and rescue, surveillance operations, emergency retrievals and transfers to and from offshore drilling rigs.

The Premier said getting another major company to shift its headquarters to Adelaide built on recent successes, with OZ Minerals and Hillgrove Resources also having their head offices in SA.

AustraliaPlus


 

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