Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Regarding the member for Petrie's questions about the defence industrial base and the industry asking questions regarding contracts, there's a simple answer to those questions. That is because the previous government cancelled the Attack class submarine project. That was the big defence project that industry was gearing up to deliver. The contracts had been signed, the work in France had begun on construction of the submarine and industry here was gearing up to partner with defence.

On my first visit to Osborne shipyards in this role, I visited the facility that was built by industry in partnership with government to construct the Attack class submarines here in Australia, a purpose built, beautiful facility. Guess what's happening with that facility at the moment? There's plenty of work for industry. Industry is involved in taking it down—in deconstructing it—because of the previous government's cancellation of that project. Again, those opposite are all talk. They were big on announcement, but when it came to delivery the previous government were woefully inadequate in the defence space.

Now, of course, in the wake of that, they announced the AUKUS arrangement to build nuclear propelled submarines here in Australia. That was supported by the then Albanese opposition, and since we have come to government we have been delivering on that commitment. The optimal pathway has been announced, in conjunction with the United Kingdom and United States governments, and the government is getting on with delivering that. That will revolutionise Australia's defence industrial base. There will be much work that the Australian defence industry will be partnering with the government to deliver, creating 20,000 new jobs in the Australian economy—a project akin to the Snowy Mountains scheme in terms of its scale and its development for Australia's economy.

It's not true that there aren't contracts that the defence industry is undertaking at the moment with the Australian Defence Force. I've visited a couple of projects in my role, most notably the Ghost Bat technology that's being developed in a partnership between Boeing Australia and the RAAF to build uncrewed reconnaissance and surveillance vehicles. They are being constructed here, in Melbourne—Australian jobs for Australians. This has massive export potential for our nation. It's an Australian technology in the defence space that has big ramifications internationally as well.

Last week I was in Randwick, where OCIUS, a small- to medium-sized enterprise based in my electorate, handed over to the Royal Australian Navy their fifth BlueBottle vessel. This is wonderful innovative technology that uses solar power and wave power to propel, again, an uncrewed reconnaissance vessel. It's doing wonderful work off the coast of Australia for the Australian Navy and for Australian Border Force. This is Australian technology promoting Australian jobs in partnership with Australian universities in the renewable energy space, delivering for the people of Australia and the Australian Defence Force.

When it comes to AUKUS, we've announced some new projects to ensure that we speed up the development of partnership with industry. The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator that was announced recently by the government will ensure that that partnership with industry delivers those jobs and those investments in the near to longer term, and $3.4 billion has been allocated by the government over the next 10 years to ensure that that partnership prevails. That project begins on 1 July. Later this year, the Defence Industry Development Strategy will be released as well, and that will provide the pathway for the opportunities associated with AUKUS and the delivery of the recommendation in the Defence Strategic Review where industry can partner with the Defence Force.

So the member for Petrie's claims are simply wrong. The new government is getting on with a partnership with defence industry, because we know that government can't deliver AUKUS alone. There needs to be a partnership with industry around Australian jobs, and that is what the Albanese government will deliver.

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