Helping local businesses navigate Defence sector opportunities
The City of Cockburn is supporting local businesses to build capability, strengthen competitiveness and explore opportunities within Australia's growing defence industry through the Defence Ready Masterclass Series.
With significant investment continuing across defence, defence industry and maritime sectors, many businesses are seeking to better understand how they can participate in defence supply chains. However, entering the defence market can be complex, with unique procurement processes, security requirements and compliance obligations.
The Defence Ready Masterclass Series has been designed to help businesses navigate these challenges by providing practical information, expert guidance and actionable tools to support their defence readiness journey.
Building the foundations: Defence Industry Security Program (DISP)
The first workshop in the series, delivered by Novel Management in August, focused on the Defence Industry Security Program (DISP).
As DISP membership is increasingly becoming a requirement for organisations seeking to engage with Defence, Defence prime contractors and sensitive supply chains, the workshop helped demystify the process and gave participants a clearer understanding of what is required to establish and maintain membership.
Attendees gained practical insights into:
- The role of DISP in protecting Australia's national security interests
- Determining whether DISP is relevant to their business and defence opportunities
- Understanding defence security requirements and compliance obligations
- Preparing a successful DISP application
- Common application challenges and lessons learned
Feedback from participants highlighted increased confidence in understanding DISP requirements and assessing whether their business is ready to pursue opportunities within the defence sector.
Upcoming workshop: Pathways to Defence contracting
The next workshop in the series,
Pathways to Defence Contracting, will be held on Tuesday 3 November 2026 and delivered by Novel Management.
Designed for businesses considering defence as a potential growth market, the workshop will provide practical guidance on how Defence procurement works, who the key decision-makers are, and how businesses can position themselves to become visible, credible and competitive within the defence ecosystem.
Participants will learn about:
- The Defence ecosystem and procurement culture
- Defence customer personas and buying behaviours
- Defence procurement pathways
- Developing effective capability statements and quad charts
- Defining a unique value proposition
- Key compliance requirements and enabling agencies
- Novel Management's Defence Decision Tree framework
Supporting local business growth
The Defence Ready Masterclass Series forms part of the City's broader commitment to supporting local business capability, industry diversification and economic growth.
Whether a business is just beginning to explore defence opportunities or is already servicing defence-related supply chains, the series provides valuable knowledge and practical tools to help organisations make informed decisions about entering and growing within the sector.
Additional Defence Ready Masterclasses are planned for 2027.
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