Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Nothing at all. If they win—if their bid to build in Australia wins—I will celebrate! I will celebrate!

Let no-one make a mistake on this: the leading industry experts have said that it is cheaper to build, maintain and sustain our future submarines here in Australia. This is what Australia's leading industry expert, Dr John White—and I would remind you, Senators, that Dr White is now heading up the German consortium's bid as part of Mr Abbott's sham process—told the Senate Economics References Committee hearing on 22 July:

I am sure that if we truly analyse all aspects of the project we will have a lower cost to the government from an all-build in Australia …

It does not come more devastating than that statement from one of the bidders. Build, maintain and sustain in Australia and it will be cheaper than sending it overseas to Germany, France or Japan. A bidder says it will be cheaper—not a Prime Minister, trying to concoct a reason to save his job and to deliver on his promise to the Prime Minister of Japan. We know that the sham process is not about saving Australian taxpayers' dollars. We know from the same experts that the only way to ensure that we have a viable naval shipbuilding capability is to build both the future frigates and the future submarines here in Australia. This is what Dr White also said:

… if Australia wants to have a long-term, sustainable, competitive, world-class naval industry, we need to plan to build both future frigates and future submarines in this country.

The road map is there. It is cheaper. If we want a world-class submarine and naval shipbuilding industry, we need to build it all here.

Just two weeks ago we saw the Prime Minister and a coterie of ministers making a range of naval shipbuilding announcements in South Australia. While the government's decision to build the future frigates in Australia is welcome, Mr Abbott laid bare the hypocrisy at the heart of his sham submarine process. When asked why the future frigates should be built in Australia—and this government has mandated that they be built in Australia—Mr Abbott finally admitted what Labor has said all along. This is what he said:

… there are significant benefits that flow from a domestic build.

Let me repeat that: there are significant benefits from building naval vessels in Australia. That is what Mr Abbott says, to which we applaud! But the hypocrisy is breathtaking. What is good for our future frigates is apparently not good for our future submarines—despite the fact that the expert advice is that we also need to build the future submarines here to enable a viable local industry and despite the fact that the experts tell us that it is cheaper to build, maintain and sustain our future subs in Australia. The explanation for this hypocrisy is simple: Tony Abbott's sham submarine process was never based on facts or merit. It was designed purely to save Mr Abbott's job during the height of Liberal leadership tensions and to fulfil his worst captain's pick—a very high bar to get over—of sending our future submarines to Japan. We cannot allow Tony Abbott to get away with another disastrous captain's pick. It is not in the interests of our nation, it is not in the interests of our defence forces, it is not in the interests of Australian taxpayers and it is anything but in the interests of Australia's strategically vital shipbuilding industry and its highly skilled workers.

I implore senators in this place not to leave this decision to Mr Abbott; it is simply too important. I implore all senators to join with Labor and support this amendment. Supporting this amendment will ensure that our future submarines are built, maintained and sustained here in Australia. We cannot afford a final captain's pick.