Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
The Honourable Desley Boyle

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Bligh Government lures world leading US aviation company to Queensland

Queensland’s reputation as a centre for pilotless aircraft received a boost today with the announcement that a major US player was setting up shop in Brisbane.

Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Desley Boyle said the State Government had worked hard to secure the establishment of prestigious Washington State based Insitu in the Smart State.

“Insitu is a global leader in Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAVs) and is behind the military ScanEagle which was developed in partnership with Boeing,” Ms Boyle said.

“The ScanEagle is currently being used by the Australian Defence Force in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect troops from enemy attacks.

“This is a massive coup for Queensland – our aviation and aerospace industry continues to go from strength to strength thanks to a strong commitment by the Bligh Government to nurture local companies while luring international companies,” she said.

UAVs are aircraft without an onboard pilot that can either be remote-controlled or flown autonomously based on a pre-programmed flight plan.

“The UAV industry is considered the next big thing in aerospace and is worth US$3.4 billion annually with the potential to reach close to US$7 billion over the course of the next 10 years,” Ms Boyle said.

“The Queensland Government is working extremely hard to ensure a big chunk of that US$7 billion comes to Queensland.”

Ms Boyle said Insitu had been recognised by Deloitte as one of the fastest growing companies in North America for the last two years.

“The company plans to set up offices, training facilities and a small production facility in Brisbane.

“The subsidiary will be the company’s first offshore venture and will be called Insitu Pacific Limited (IPL). IPL’s target is to employ 35 full-time staff within the next five years, mainly in engineering and technical services.”

Ms Boyle said the company chose Australia over Canada because of Queensland’s growing global reputation as a major centre for UAVs.

More than 30 percent of Australia’s growing UAV industry is located in Queensland and the State is at the forefront of research, design, flight testing and training in the use of these aircraft.

“Queensland has an extremely strong research base looking at ways to integrate UAVs safely with other aircraft users. There is also a highly focused business sector working hard to commercialise the emerging market for their civilian use.

“We have a major research centre in the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA), a joint CSIRO-QUT initiative devoted to the civilian application of these aircraft. We have Australia’s only major testing area for these aircraft, based at Kingaroy Airport. And we host the UAV Challenge – Outback Rescue – a competition involving high school, university students and enthusiasts.”

Ms Boyle said the Government spent a lot of time and effort demonstrating to Insitu that Queensland was the best environment in Australia to set up shop. “The arrival of Insitu supports the Government's strategic plans for aviation and aerospace in Queensland. Their presence in the State will progress our UAV industry in leaps and bounds.

“Insitu Pacific will provide opportunities for collaborative research and development, as well as jobs for graduates coming out of our universities.” Ms Boyle said.

“This was exactly the thinking behind the Queensland Government’s decision to work very closely with Boeing Australia to help it maximise its local investments, following its move to Brisbane In 1998. The Government knew back then, as we know now, that these high-profile companies are critical to industrial development and growth.

“And that type of thinking pays dividends. We’ve gone from having virtually no aviation and aerospace industry 10 years ago to today having 17,000 people employed across Queensland, with over 900 aviation companies based in the State.”

Steve Sliwa, President and CEO of Insitu said it was an exciting beginning to the company’s global expansion plans for the Insitu portfolio of products and Queensland's commitment to developing technology made it the perfect location for its first subsidiary.
“The decision to move forward with this expansion is based on our growing volume of business with the Australian Defence Force, and our planned expansion into commercial markets.”

Sliwa also commented, ”our presence there will give us greater access to organizations and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.”

“We have worked hard to get where we are in the marketplace, supporting defence and commercial needs across the globe, and our 90,000 hours of experience will suit us well in this expanding industry,” Mr Sliwa said.

“The continued improvement process adopted by Insitu Pacific will allow closer monitoring of customer needs and requirements and increase our ability to react efficiently on this side of the world.

“In turn this will allow IPL to expand, employ locally, and become a critical mass in the Australian Pacific UAV community. We see Australia as the next logical step to our growth path in the region, and what better way to start than in Queensland."

Ends

Media contact: Marcus Taylor 3225 1005/0419 025 326 or Kirstie Maier 3224 2007/0448 135 195

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