Army reservists who've lost their civilian jobs due to COVID-19 will soon be able to pick up more military work, as part of a billion-dollar defence stimulus package.
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Defence is also set to recruit an extra 500 reservists and fast-track upgrades at RAAF bases across the nation, particularly in areas hard hit by bushfires.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil the measures on Wednesday as part of his government's JobMaker strategy, expected to support around 4000 jobs.
He said like many other parts of the economy, the local defence sector was "doing it tough" due to the pandemic.
"This is especially so for small and medium-sized businesses that are critical to jobs," Mr Morrison said.
"We want to build our sovereign industrial capabilities and Australian workforce to keep our people safe."
Around $300 million would be spent on upgrades to Defence bases across the country, including in areas impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.
Works at RAAF bases in East Sale, Pearce, Wagga, Amberley, Jervis Bay and Eden, as well as the Albury Wodonga Military Area and Blamey Barracks will be expedited under the plan, an investment expected to support around 2200 jobs.
Another $190 will be spent bringing forward investment on seven Northern Territory defence projects in particular, across Robertson Barracks, RAAF Base Darwin, Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, and the Delamere Air Weapons Range. This would support another 390 jobs.
Around $200 million will also be spent on beefing up existing capabilities.
Defence will bring forward vehicle modifications and upgrades to the protected mobility vehicles, including the Bushmasters. This is expected to support 40 jobs, including at Bendigo.
It will buy four deployable containerised data centres from Canberra-based business Datapod, which is expected to support 85 jobs.
It will hire 23 ex-Qantas engineering and technical personnel and 14 ex-Virgin Australia staff to work at RAAF Bases Richmond and Amberley supporting the C-27J Spartan aircraft.
It will also fast-track the development of a new Navy uniform, which will include non-steel cap working boots.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said her department had already fast-tracked a range of infrastructure, capability and workforce investments in a bid to keep jobs in the industry.
"Already, over $11 billion has been provided in early payment for invoices and work to improve or sustain industry capacity for the delivery of critical supplies," Senator Reynolds said.
Mr Morrison also said the government wanted to support Australian Defence Force members struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
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It would increase the total annual reserve days allocation by up to 210,000 days over the next year, in order to provide extra employment for the 27,000 active Australian Defence Force Reserve members.
Defence is also set to recruit another 500 ADF Reserve members, to provide employment options for Australians who'd lost their jobs due to COVID-19 restrictions. The measures are expected to cost around $80 million.
Mr Morrison said the investment would support a "robust, resilient and internationally competitive defence industry".
The announcement comes two months after Mr Morrison foreshadowed a $270 billion spend on weapons and defence infrastructure over the next decade, including billions of dollars on long-range strike missiles.
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