George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, the future frigates will be built in Adelaide. The offshore patrol vessels will be built in Australia, primarily in Adelaide, but other localities in Australia will be at liberty to bid for the offshore patrol vessels. As a result of the competitive evaluation process, later in the year the government is proposing to announce the construction of the future submarine program, but there will be very, very substantial work in Adelaide for the future submarine program. I must say, Senator Conroy, that your chutzpah really is extraordinary. You were a minister in a government that did nothing for Australian naval shipbuilding for six years—nothing. Not a single Australian naval ship was commenced in the six years during which you sat around the cabinet table—not one. Not one single Australian warship was commenced. The Future Submarine program was delayed and put off for over six years. As a result, what has been referred to in the industry as the valley of death, the point between the end of work on pre-existing programs begun by the Howard government and the uptake of work on programs introduced by the Abbott government—