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

My question is to the Minister for Defence Industry. Will the minister update the House on how the government's strong management of the economy enables job-creating investment in our defence industry, such as the Henderson shipyard in my state of Western Australia, which employs many workers from Canning? What are the consequences for industry and workers of following a different course of action?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canning for his question. He's a very proud Western Australian and represents a large part of the area where the workers of Henderson are drawn from. The very good news for Perth, and Henderson particularly, is that the government's decision to build nine anti-submarine warfare frigates in Australia—by BAE and ASC shipbuilding, at a cost of $35 billion—that we announced a few weeks ago will have an enormous impact in Henderson and in Perth generally because we will build $670 million of new infrastructure to support the Hunter class frigates, driving jobs, driving growth and supporting Western Australian businesses. The HMAS Stirling will become the home for the Hunter class anti-submarine warfare frigates training. Henderson will become the hub for the maintenance and sustainment of the Hunter class frigates in the future, when they are completed. The investment in Stirling and in Henderson includes an extension of existing wharves; construction of maintenance and storage buildings, new medical facilities and accommodation; and the new Navy training systems centre—all because of this government's decision to make Henderson the centre for those parts of the anti-submarine warfare frigate project.

This is in addition to other commitments that we've announced and made to Henderson over the last couple of years: $300 million in upgrades to HMAS Stirling and Henderson because of the offshore patrol vessels, many of them being based in Perth; $150 million in upgrading the wharves and accommodation because of the new supply ships being based as well at Henderson and Stirling; and a $367 million commitment to redevelop the HMAS Stirlinginfrastructure, including power and water upgrades. And that's just the Commonwealth spending. There's also the $70 million new shipbuilding facility that Civmec is building to build the offshore patrol vessels.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Industry and Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They should've been built here.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hear the member for Eden-Monaro interject. The reality is that, if Labor had stayed in power, none of those—

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting—

10 offshore patrol vessels would have been built in Australia—

Dr Mike Kelly interjecting—

not one.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Defence Industry will just pause for a second. The member for Eden-Monaro is lucky to still be in question time—very lucky to still be in question time. He'll cease interjecting.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The 21 Pacific patrol boats would never have been built. They're being built at Henderson. The last ship for the Navy that was built in Australia is the HMAS Sydney, the air warfare destroyer. Because of the decision of first the Abbott government and now the Turnbull government, we're building 54 vessels in this country. The nine Hunter class antisubmarine warfare frigates are the latest, but there are also the submarines, the offshore patrol vessels and the Pacific patrol boats.