COCKBURN’ S QUIET REVOLUTION
TURNING INDUSTRIAL LEGACY INTO INNOVATION POWERHOUSE
By Charisse Santiago & Michael Faulkner
INTRODUCTION In a rapidly shifting global economy, local governments are increasingly on the frontline of industrial transformation. As Phan, Cleave and Arku( 2020) argue, cities are no longer just service providers; they are curators and facilitators of innovation ecosystems that enable businesses to adapt, compete, and thrive.
The City of Cockburn exemplifies this shift through what can be described as a quiet revolution. Known primarily for its industrial and maritime legacy, Cockburn is steadily transforming itself into a powerhouse of innovation and advanced capability. With the Australian Marine Complex( AMC) in Henderson, one of only two shipbuilding precincts in the nation, Cockburn anchors a cluster of shipbuilding, defence, advanced manufacturing, and blue economy industries that are redefining Western Australia’ s economic future.
For Cockburn, the responsibility is both an opportunity and a necessity. The role of local government is not limited to planning or traditional facilitation. It is about activating innovation on the ground by creating the conditions for industry growth, enabling SME capability uplift, and
fostering collaboration across sectors. The challenge is clear: to move beyond strategies on paper and create tangible, measurable outcomes that prepare our industries and workforce for the future.
WHY INNOVATION MUST BE PLACE-BASED Innovation does not happen in isolation. It is shaped by the assets, industries, and people that are embedded in specific locations. This is what is meant by place-based innovation: strategies and actions that draw strength from distinctive characteristics of a region. Rather than applying one-size-fits-all models, placebased innovation recognises that each city or district must build on its own industrial legacy, geographic advantages and workforce capabilities( Davis and Wagner, 2024).
For Western Australia, economic growth has always relied on strategic locations. The Pilbara drives global demand for resources. Perth anchors the state’ s financial and professional services. In the south-west, food production underpins trade and tourism. And in the City of Cockburn, the Australian Marine Complex( AMC) anchors a cluster of industries with national significance. Defence sustainment, naval shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, oil and gas, and emerging blue economy technologies all converge here, making Cockburn one of Western Australia’ s most strategic and dynamic industrial hubs.
DEFENCE, AI AND THE BLUE ECONOMY: THE SECTORAL OPPORTUNITY Australia’ s renewed focus on sovereign capability has placed shipbuilding and sustainment at the core of economic and security policy. This shift is being accelerated by the AUKUS trilateral partnership, which will require unprecedented levels of industrial capability and collaboration to deliver advanced submarine technology and support the long-term sustainment and maintenance of Australia’ s SSN program, with the AMC playing a central role, alongside wider defence industry initiatives. For Cockburn, this is not theoretical. It is an immediate and practical challenge that demands readiness from local supply chains, SMEs and workforce development systems.
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