Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

BAE in Williamstown this morning announced that they were shedding a further 125 jobs, bringing the total number of jobs lost since October last year to 600. The Minister for Defence put out a statement after that announcement to say that the government was disappointed by this decision but had no control over the commercial decisions of a company such as BAE. This is despite the fact that this government, upon coming to office, sent two supply vessels to be built offshore. The shipyards in either Korea or Spain—probably Korea—will benefit directly from the actions of this government at a time when the government knew that the prospects of Australian shipbuilders were bleak because contracts were coming to an end. What we have today is in example of how the government does not appreciate that its own decisions are having such dire consequences for the defence capabilities of this nation.

Last week we saw in Adelaide the Prime Minister announce that there would be a continuous build for contracts for future frigates and offshore patrol vessels. He failed to mention that his pre-election promise to build future submarines in Adelaide had been breached. What we know is that this action by the government is driven by the dire opinion polls for their Liberal colleagues in South Australia and has nothing to do with maintaining the defence industry capabilities of this nation. What we know is that the government's calculations are based on its electoral fortunes, not on the industrial needs of this nation. We are now facing a situation where shipyards like BAE will not be able to share in any of the government's announcements. The offshore patrol vessel project is due to start in 2018. The Future Frigate project is due to start in 2020. BAE's existing contracts, involving the air warfare destroyers and the landing helicopter dock ships, will be completed by the end of 2016. The yards will be empty. The direct consequence of that is that the yards will be laying people off and may well close.

What was the situation in the United Kingdom when it was faced with a similar situation under a Conservative government? Did it send its warships offshore to be built as this government has done? No, it did not. The Conservative government of the United Kingdom awarded patrol boat contracts to BAE in order to avoid a shutdown—a specific build for BAE. So the situation in this country could have been avoided. The Prime Minister has nothing to offer the 125 workers who have found out today that they are losing their jobs, just as he had nothing to offer the 600 in total since October last year. There have been no assurances for the workers at Forgacs in Newcastle or Austal in Western Australia. He has not conceded the need to have expert advice on the Future Submarines project. We are seeing a similar pattern in defence materiel purchases. We saw, for instance, in my office today employees of Workwear Group in Footscray who are facing dismissal because of this government's decisions with regard to the supply of uniforms for the ADF. The defence minister's decision will mean the loss of some 45 jobs and the closure of the factory, adding further to the loss of industrial capabilities in the defence industries. Some of these workers are visiting parliament today.

This of course reflects the pattern of decisions by this government—a government that likes to wrap itself in the flag but, when it comes to a commitment for the defence of Australia and the industrial capabilities of this nation, has nothing to say. The government is treating the Australian people as fools and as fodder in its campaign to offshore work. It is failing to fulfil its responsibilities to meet the defence procurement needs of this nation. And the only time it changes its view is based on its electoral calculations, not on the defence capability needs of this nation.