The Hon Colin Brooks MP – travel report – United Kingdom and South Korea, 8 to 20 September 2025

*The above costs are not final and complete

Purpose of travel

Travel was undertaken to the United Kingdom (UK) and South Korea to advance the Victorian Government’s strategic priorities in the defence and aerospace sectors, as outlined in the recently released Victorian Defence Vision Statement. As part of the visit, meetings were undertaken with key influencers and decision makers from the global defence sector to progress new trade and investment opportunities for Victoria. The visit to London centred on attending the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI). DSEI is a large biennial trade exhibition focused on the global defence and security industry. The event features exhibitions, conferences and networking opportunities across various domains like air, land, sea, cyber and space. DSEI is renowned for the strength and seniority of those that attend, including senior officials, industry buyers, and international VIPs and official delegations.

Benefits of travel to the State of Victoria

United Kingdom

The UK is a high-income, mixed economy that ranks as the sixth largest globally by gross domestic product. By value, the UK is Victoria’s 15th largest two-way merchandise trading partner and 19th largest merchandise export market. The UK is also the third largest source of foreign direct investment in Victoria.

The benefits of travel to the UK included:

London

• Supporting and engaging with the Victorian companies participating at DSEI as part of the Team Defence Australia delegation.
• Meeting with UK-based QinetiQ Group to discuss the company’s key growth opportunities in Australia including partnerships with Victorian SMEs and universities. The engagement provided the opportunity to discuss future export opportunities the company’s Australian subsidiary is exploring. The conversation also provided an opportunity to highlight Victoria’s competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing and specialised skills availability.
• Meeting with UK-based SC Group to discuss the company’s projects and opportunities in Victoria. The meeting provided an opportunity to acknowledge Supacat Asia-Pacific’s existing presence in Victoria and the supply chain partnerships it has established with Victoria’s broader defence industry ecosystem. The conversation also covered the value of sharing UK and Australian supply chain knowledge and further growth opportunities for the company.
• Meeting with UK-based BAE Systems Digital Intelligence provided the opportunity to discuss how the company could benefit from Victoria’s strength as Australia’s most highly skilled state and home to 9 public universities, including 2 universities in the top 50 (QS World Rankings 2025). The conversation also covered opportunities for the company to partner with Victorian universities on early-stage research projects.
• Meeting with Lockheed Martin Corporation provided the opportunity to discuss Victoria’s strengths within the defence industry. The meeting also provided an opportunity to reiterate that the Victorian Government values its strong relationship with the company acknowledging investments made by Lockheed Martin in the State of Victoria to date. The conversation also explored opportunities enabled by Victoria’s key defence infrastructure and test and evaluation capabilities.
• Meeting with the Australian High Commissioner to the UK to discuss the latest developments in Australia’s relationship with the UK, and to convey the importance of Victoria’s economic relationship with the UK. The conversation additionally focused on how Victoria can contribute to and benefit from AUKUS.
• Meeting with UK-based Babcock International Group and Babcock Australia and New Zealand to discuss Victoria’s strengths, including advanced manufacturing, defence related R&D, workforce and supply chain capabilities. The meeting also provided an opportunity to reinforce the Victorian Government’s support for Babcock’s existing presence in Victoria. Additionally, the conversation covered Victoria’s position as Australia’s most highly skilled state and a hub for innovation and specialist defence knowledge.
• Meeting with France-based MBDA Systems provided the opportunity to discuss Victoria’s strengths as Australia’s most highly skilled state and home to 9 public universities, including 2 universities in the top 50 (QS World Rankings 2025).
• Meeting with the newly appointed UK Minister of State (Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry) provided the opportunity to promote Victorian defence industry capability. This included land vehicle manufacturing, including the Thales Bushmaster program. The conversation covered the upcoming release of UK’s Defence Investment Plan and opportunities for Victoria relating to UK investment and procurement.
• Meeting with BAE Systems Australia to discuss Victoria’s strengths, including in advanced manufacturing, defence related R&D, workforce and supply chain capabilities. The meeting also provided an opportunity to acknowledge BAE’s existing presence in Victoria and reiterate that the Victorian Government values its relationship with BAE. The conversation also covered Victoria’s position as Australia’s most highly skilled state and a hub for innovation and specialist defence knowledge.
• Meeting with Thales Australia to discuss upcoming trade and investment opportunities in the defence sector. The engagement recognised Thales’ existing presence in Victoria and the conversation included how the Victorian Government can facilitate and support partnerships with local supply chain companies and academia that can support growth locally and globally.
• Meeting with Safran Electronics and Defense provided the opportunity to discuss Safran’s key opportunities in Australia. The conversation centred around the Victorian Government’s commitment to support Safran as part of its efforts to secure defence sector investments, uplift local SMEs, build critical skills and foster innovation.
• Attended a CGI maritime capability demonstration. The engagement also included discussion about Victoria’s position as Australia’s most highly skilled state and a hub for innovation and specialist defence knowledge.
• Meeting with Hanwha to acknowledge the existing presence of Hanwha Defence Australia in Victoria.
• Meeting with Imperial College London and undertaking a site visit to its South Kensington Campus to discuss learnings from the establishment of Imperial’s deep tech campus in the White City Innovation District.
• Meeting with The Asia Group to discuss its insights on AUKUS, capability to support Victorian companies and ability to open doors for Victorian businesses and defence stakeholders. The conversation provided the opportunity to promote Victoria’s defence industrial base and AUKUS skills sets for The Asia Group to reference in its international engagements connected to AUKUS.
• Meeting with the UK Trade Envoy to discuss the importance of the UK-Victoria economic relationship. The discussion also covered opportunities to grow the relationship, specifically relating to AUKUS.
• Meeting with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) to learn how CWEIC operates in the UK, and its relationship with Australia and Victoria. The conversation also provided the opportunity to learn more about the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which launched in June 2025 and highlights 8 high-growth sectors and a £600 million Strategic Sites Accelerator.
• Meeting with RMIT representatives to explore potential research and skill partnerships between Victorian and UK/European entities in collaboration with RMIT.

Derby

• Attended a site visit to the Rolls-Royce Nuclear Skills Academy to learn how Rolls-Royce is addressing the challenge of finding suitably qualified and experienced personnel in the UK. The site visit included meeting with Rolls-Royce Submarines which provided the opportunity to highlight Victoria’s position as the most highly skilled state and a hub for innovation and specialist defence knowledge.
• Discussions included the opportunity to formalise the relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding.

South Korea

Korea is Victoria’s eighth largest trading partner and fifth largest export market. Trade has increased significantly since FY2019-20, growing by 76% from $3.1 billion to $5.5 billion in FY2024-25. Investments from Korea are growing, with several strategic investments in recent years in defence, nutraceuticals and infrastructure. Across FY2020-21 to FY2024-25, investments from South Korea were worth $41.65 million with 74 jobs created.

The benefits of travel to South Korea included:

Changwon

• Meeting with South Korean-based Hanwha Aerospace and undertaking a site visit to its main production site (Plant 3). The meeting provided the opportunity to reiterate that the Victorian Government values its strong relationship with Hanwha Defence Australia as well as the investments made by the company in the State of Victoria to date.
• Meeting with South Korean-based MNC Solution and undertaking a site visit to its production facility.  The meeting provided the opportunity to reiterate the Victorian Government’s support for MNC Solution’s partnership with Corvus Technology Solutions. The discussion explored MNC Solution’s interest in forming partnerships with Victorian SMEs and underscored Victoria’s comparative strengths in advanced manufacturing and specialised skills.

Geoje

• Meeting with Hanwha Ocean and undertook a site visit to its Okpo Shipyard. The meeting provided the opportunity to reaffirm Victoria’s strategic strengths, including in advanced manufacturing, defence related R&D, workforce and supply chain capabilities.

Seoul

• Meeting with the Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) to discuss the latest developments in Australia’s relationship with ROK, and to convey the importance of Victoria’s economic relationship with ROK. It also provided the opportunity to raise with the Ambassador the renegotiation of the bilateral air service agreement between Australia and ROK.
• Meeting with South Korea based Asiana Airlines to discuss regular direct flight routes from Seoul (Incheon) to Melbourne. The discussion emphasised the strategic value of a direct flight route, underpinned by growing tourism flows and a shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations.

Next steps/Follow up

Please note, many of the next steps/follow up actions are commercial-in-confidence and as such the specifics cannot be disclosed publicly.

United Kingdom

• Continue to work with QinetiQ Australia on its potential export opportunities that would benefit from being located in Victoria.
• Work with Supacat Asia-Pacific to explore potential advocacy efforts to secure more work from global primes such as BAE Systems Australia.
• Engage with BAE Systems Digital Intelligence on potential partnerships with Victorian universities that would address the company’s skills requirements.
• Work with Lockheed Martin to map supply chain gaps and explore how Victorian SMEs may provide capabilities of interest.
• Engage with Babcock Australasia supply chain and highlight capabilities of Victorian SMEs.
• Follow up with CGI to explore potential partnerships in Victoria.
• Continue engagement with Hanwha to support its existing presence in Victoria.
• Undertake follow up discussions with Imperial College London to gather further information on degree apprenticeships and other innovative models.
• Continue highlighting the advantages and capabilities of Victoria for defence and advanced manufacturing businesses.

South Korea

• Undertake follow up discussions with Hanwha Aerospace on long-term investment opportunities for the company in Victoria.
• Continue engagement with Hanwha Ocean.
• Work with MNC Solution to support the company to expand its partnerships with Victorian SMEs.
• Continue to work with Asiana Airlines’ Sales Office and Sales Strategy Office to achieve regular direct flights from Seoul (Incheon) to Melbourne.

Outcomes achieved following attendance at DSEI, London

• Rolls-Royce and Victorian Government MoU signing ceremony: On Tuesday 4 November 2025, a signing ceremony was held at the Indo Pacific 2025 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney to formalise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Rolls-Royce and the Victorian Government to bolster Victoria’s defence industry skills, supply chain and innovation. Under the MoU, the Victorian Government will work with Rolls-Royce to facilitate supply chain opportunities for Victorian companies and support Victoria’s contribution to AUKUS Pillars 1 & 2, developing the workforce’s skills and technology. Rolls-Royce has powered the UK Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines for more than 65 years and is expanding its Derby site to support UK and Australian defence programs. Rolls-Royce is the only private company in the world with the ability to design, manage, manufacture and decommission reactors within one single entity.
• H&B Defence and Victorian Government MoU signing ceremony: On Tuesday 4 November 2025, a signing ceremony was held at the Indo Pacific 2025 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney to formalise a memorandum of understanding between H&B Defence and the Victorian Government. H&B Defence is a joint venture between the USA’s largest military ship builder Huntington Ingalls Industries and British defence engineering company Babcock International Group. The company was established to support the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program. Under the MoU, H&B Defence will work with the Victorian Government to support global market access for Victorian businesses and attract new defence-related investments to grow Victoria’s industrial base. The MoU will also support increased collaboration with education and training providers to pilot new defence-focused skills programs and deliver supply chain uplift programs to support Victorian businesses to better comply with US and UK shipbuilding requirements.
• Attendance at the Indo Pacific 2025 International Maritime Exposition 4-6 November 2025: Demonstrating sustained commitment for Victoria's defence sector, the Victorian Government Pavilion at Indo Pacific offered the opportunity for 64 local companies to showcase the state’s nation-leading advanced manufacturing, humanitarian aid, defence-related research and development to a global audience. Victorian manufacturer AW Bell announced the company’s recent signing of a Manufacturing Licensing Agreement which will see them join Northrop Grumman Australia’s submarine industrial base. The new deals secured by Victorian businesses at the Exposition will help grow opportunities for the defence workforce which supports more than 29,000 jobs across Victoria.