Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

You indulge in this hollow union pledge of promising to advocate that all naval ships and submarines are to be designed, built and maintained in Australia. This is meaningless, because we all know that in Defence matters it is vitally important that we do work, and we have been working, with other countries for decades. The Collins-class submarine was a Swedish design—the company Kockums and US combat systems by Rockwell and French power and propulsion by Jeumont Schneider. The Air Warfare Destroyer was based on a Spanish design by Navantia with combat systems manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin. International cooperation has long been a feature of Defence matters.

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Senator Conroy, let me tell you that having spent many years married to Commander Wells, who was in the Navy for 35 years—