Queensland has inked a ground-breaking new partnership with Boeing that will see the state become home to Boeing’s largest autonomous systems development program outside of the United States.
Under the agreement, Boeing will develop new autonomous systems capability in Queensland over the next three years to increase the independent operation of air and sea vehicles, creating an exportable product for the global market.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Boeing’s autonomous vehicles program will add about 130 jobs of the future to the company’s 1,500-strong Queensland workforce currently based at Townsville, Brisbane, Amberley and Oakey.
“Boeing has a proven track record of working with innovative Queensland businesses, a relationship that supports the growth of highly-skilled jobs under this new program,” the Premier continued.
“Partnerships like this are only possible because of my government’s determination to foster new and highly skilled industries in Queensland – it’s why we have our $513 million Advance Queensland Initiative, and why last year we launched our Drone Strategy.”
State Development Minister Cameron Dick said the State Government’s support through the Industry Attraction Fund was integral to Boeing’s decision to choose Queensland for the growing billion-dollar autonomous vehicles market.
“This project will directly benefit Queensland small to medium enterprises that service the aerospace, advanced manufacturing, defence, and resources technology and services sectors,” Mr Dick added.
“Boeing is a recognised market leader for manned and unmanned technology innovation and will continue to pioneer the safe integration of autonomy for defence and commercial applications.”
“By employing more people in specialist roles including software and systems engineers, this project will expand Queenslanders’ specialist and technical expertise and intellectual labour capacity in autonomous systems.”
Shane Arnott, Director of Boeing’s Phantom Works International business in Australia said Boeing will work with small-to-medium sized Queensland businesses to develop transformative ‘brain-on-board’ technology.
“Our program will complement the work undertaken by the TAS DCRC, taking research outcomes and developing them into exportable commercial products for the global autonomous market,” Mr Arnott concluded.
