Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My electorate of Paterson is home to Australia's premier jet fighter base, RAAF Base Williamtown. I've never made any secret of my pride and passion in representing the fantastic women and men who put on the uniform to protect our way of life. Last Friday, when I joined defence minister Richard Marles in Sydney with industry stakeholders to hear him outline the future of the ADF and the critical role that AUKUS will play in strengthening Australia's national security, it was completely evident that the people in the room were genuinely excited and looking forward to a future with AUKUS.

Under the agreement, expected to cost upwards of $386 billion, Australia will build a new fleet of eight nuclear powered submarines by 2055. I am proud to be part of an Albanese Labor government that is making the most significant investment in our defence capability in our history and will deliver a transformational moment for our nation, our Defence Force and our economy.

For the last term, I worked with Labor's defence team as the shadow assistant minister for defence, and I took great pride in that role, but I did sense the frustrations of some in our ADF, in the decade preceding that, because of the neglect by some opposite. In that last term of parliament, we saw diplomatic debacles by the former Prime Minister, which was damaging. It was in lock step with his government's complete disregard for many diplomatic relationships, which was tragic to say the least. Our government, the Defence Force and our foreign ministry team are working hard to restore those relationships, and that's pivotal.

We're making record investment not only in our national security but in all of the wraparounds that are going to be needed to make not only AUKUS but Australia a success, because AUKUS's success will be Australia's success and vice versa. This is a fully integrated platform. It's where we need all of our people in Australia to be proud of what we're doing, and it's also where we need people to participate in what we're doing. Only with this investment in AUKUS will we meet our obligation to ensure regional stability in response to unprecedented strategic challenges. With 99 per cent of Australia's trade passing by sea, we must ensure the protection of international shipping routes. As an island nation, we are highly dependent on this global trade, and that goes without saying. The AUKUS nuclear powered submarine pathway will build a better future with this record investment in defence, creating the careers that will deliver superior capability after a decade of inaction and mismanagement by the former government.

I know Australians have the skills to fill these important roles, and I know that industry has the appetite to deliver, because I've worked with them for the last seven years in this job. I've met with so many people who are so keen to get on with the job. We have the skills and the wherewithal to deliver AUKUS in Australia with our strategic partners. Not only will AUKUS be a trilateral security partnership; it will deliver long-term strategic benefits for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In delivering this, it's going to enhance cooperation on a range of security and defence capabilities by ensuring deeper integration of our defence related science, technology, industrial bases and supply chains. That is how we're going make this a success.

One of the things that is a real stand-out to me is that some of the submariners who will work on these boats haven't even been born yet. So as you read your children a story before you put them to bed, think about the jobs and the prosperity and the contribution that they might make—not only to our nation's security, but to the enhancement of our nation overall. Thank you in advance for what you're doing and thank you for the faith you have put in our government to deliver. (Time expired)