The Australian Government is committed to establishing a world-class Commonwealth Defence precinct in Henderson, Western Australia. This precinct will be a major industrial hub. It will support ongoing naval shipbuilding and sustainment. It will also help deliver the Government’s Defence priorities set out in 2026 National Defence Strategy, 2026 Integrated Investment Program, 2026 Defence Industry Development Strategy and 2024 Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Plan.

The Henderson Defence Precinct will play an important role in Australia’s plan to acquire future nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines. It will provide the infrastructure, facilities and services needed to maintain Australia’s submarine fleet and support our AUKUS partners.

The precinct also supports Australia’s vision to strengthen its maritime capability and become more self-reliant. This will be achieved by developing new infrastructure and growing industry capability. It will include additional capacity to support construction and sustainment of large and complex surface fleet vessels and submarines. The precinct will be completed alongside the developments at HMAS Stirling at Garden Island in Western Australia (WA) and Osborne in South Australia (SA).

On 16 October 2024, the Australian Government announced an initial commitment of $127 million over 3 years to support planning for the precinct. At the same time, the Australian Government signed a Cooperation Agreement with the WA Government to progress the precinct. This agreement shows both governments are committed to working together over the next decade and beyond.

The Australian Government has announced a further $12 billion initial funding to support early works and infrastructure delivery at the precinct. This is a significant down payment. Early independent planning and advice suggests the total cost of infrastructure may be around $25 billion.

The precinct will help diversify and directly support the WA economy. It will boost industries in the region, including engineering, logistics and supply chains. Activities across Henderson and HMAS Stirling is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs. This will support growth in the tertiary and technical education sector and create the pipeline needed to sustain workforce flow over the next 2 decades or more.

The development will generate socio-economic benefits in the communities that will grow to support this major national endeavour: housing, schools, services and supporting infrastructure such as transport and utilities will all be needed.

Infrastructure and facilities

The precinct will be built in stages. Planning, design and feasibility studies will establish the boundaries and exact infrastructure and facilities required for the precinct.

The facilities will include:

• contingency docking capability and supporting infrastructure and facilities for nuclear-powered submarines
• maintenance facilities for nuclear-powered submarines, including graving docks
• shipbuilding facilities to support the construction of larger more complex vessels
• a modern surface fleet sustainment yard to support the sustainment of Australia's surface combatant vessels.

Together with the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia, the precinct will be crucial in the Australian Government’s continuous shipbuilding capability. It will help build dozens of vessels for the Australian Defence Force, including 18 Landing Craft Medium and 8 Landing Craft Heavy over the next decade.

Consultation and collaboration

Ongoing consultation and collaboration are central to delivering this world-class naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise. Local and regional industries are important to its success.

Since October 2024, Defence and the WA Government have held regular consultation, including discussions with leaseholders, local industry and the commercial sector about the future of the shipyard.

Defence and the Australian Submarine Agency are also working closely with the WA and local governments to plan how to:

• move people and materials in a way that minimises congestion and identifies upgrades required to local roads
• reduce the impact of operations on local communities in Rockingham, Henderson and nearby areas.

A range of community information sessions, industry briefings, conferences and events have occurred and these engagements will be ongoing.

Industry contracts

After a competitive selection process, Defence has appointed Bechtel Infrastructure Australia Pty Ltd as the design services consultancy (DSC) to lead the master planning for the precinct. Bechtel will provide expert infrastructure design advice and work with a range of stakeholders to develop the master plan for the precinct.

The master plan will outline the initial layout of the Henderson Defence Precinct. It will be an important step in shaping the defence precinct’s future capability needs and supporting a strong, sovereign industrial base.

Defence has also awarded a contract to infrastructure engineering consultancy AECOM Australia Pty Ltd (AECOM Australia) to undertake site characterisation studies across the Cockburn Sound region of Western Australia. AECOM will identify the baseline engineering, environmental and marine data required to inform future infrastructure planning and regulatory approvals.

Background

The 2023 Defence Strategic Review highlighted Henderson’s critical role in delivering continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment of Australia’s surface fleet in WA and in supporting the nuclear-powered submarine pathway.

The Independent Analysis into Navy's Surface Combatant Fleet reiterated the need for a larger, more lethal surface combatant fleet, outlining this should be complemented by conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines.

In the 2024 National Defence Strategy and 2024 Integrated Investment Program, the Australian Government confirmed its commitment delivering a continuous naval shipbuilding program. This includes investment in naval shipbuilding and sustainment activities at Henderson. This commitment was recently reaffirmed in the 2026 National Defence Strategy and the 2026 Integrated Investment Program.