Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

As I was about to say, the centrepiece of the government's naval shipbuilding plan will be the implementation of an historic continuous build of surface warships in Australia.

It will begin with the Future Frigates, which have been brought forward by three years to commence in 2020. The new offshore patrol vessels will be brought forward to 2018. What Vice Admiral Barrett said the other day is that 'this will provide some certainty, which Defence and the shipbuilding industry so desperately require'. It is those opposite, through inaction and complete and utter incompetence, that have the led us to the situation we are in at the moment. There is one government that is doing something about it, and there is one former government that refused to address the urgent needs of the naval shipbuilding industry in this nation. (Time expired)