Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs representing the Minister for Defence. Will the minister advise the House how the government's continuous naval shipbuilding plan is supporting Australia's shipbuilding industry?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canning for his question and I acknowledge his deep interest and concern as a former serving member of our Defence forces in a local defence industry in Australia. The government's announcement yesterday of a $40 billion investment in a continuous shipbuilding program means that not only does our navy have the capability to deal with future security challenges, but we are also securing local jobs. This continuous shipbuilding program will now secure about 2½ thousand jobs that were at risk under Labor because, as the House now knows, Labor did not commission one new ship—not one new vessel from one Australian shipyard, zero—in its entire six years in office. Indeed, 10 per cent of the workforce in Australia's shipyards lost their jobs because of Labor's inability and incompetence in managing shipbuilding or, indeed, Defence contracts.

Austal Ships in Western Australia has been selected as the preferred tenderer for 21 Pacific patrol boats. Austal Ships is a great example of advanced and innovative manufacturing in this country. It has designed and built about 225 ships, has exported to about 44 countries and is currently the prime contractor for two continuous shipbuilding programs in the United States for the United States Navy. Now, under this government, we have a local continuous shipbuilding program for Australian industry.

Premier Barnett welcomed the 130 jobs that will be secured at Henderson under the government's announcement, but the benefits will flow beyond Western Australia. We know that Austal plans to sustain and support those ships at facilities in Cairns over the life of the project and, indeed, the up to 12 offshore patrol vessels we announced yesterday that will be built in Adelaide and Western Australia will also be housed and maintained in Cairns. This means an additional $800 million investment in Cairns in shipbuilding facilities in northern Queensland.

What we saw yesterday was an example where the Australian public can compare and contrast our approach to defence and local industry, and Labor's. While our defence minister, Senator Marise Payne, was announcing the $40 billion investment continuous shipbuilding program, support for local jobs and support for defence capability, the Leader of the Opposition's pick for defence minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, was personally attacking one of the most decorated and distinguished soldiers in Australia's history. His personal attack on Sir Peter Cosgrove follows his attack on General Campbell. He is a disgrace, and the Leader of the Opposition has chosen him to be their defence minister. (Time expired)