Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ciccone for his question, for his work as chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee and for his interest and engagement on national security and defence matters. He is correct. At the Osborne naval shipyards last week, the Deputy Prime Minister and I were joined by counterparts from the United Kingdom, by Ambassador Kennedy and by Premier Malinauskas. We announced that the government has appointed ASC and BAE Systems as our sovereign submarine partners to build Australia's AUKUS submarines. This will see a joint venture established which will bring together the skills, knowledge, resources and capabilities of these two partners.

ASC has also been appointed the sovereign submarine partner for sustainment and maintenance of our AUKUS submarines. It will sustain the conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines in Australia, including in the lead-up to, and throughout, Submarine Rotational Force-West in Western Australia. This is in addition to the central role ASC currently plays in sustainment and maintenance of Australian's current Collins class submarines, including the life-of-type extension to be carried out in Adelaide.

I had the privilege when I was finance minister of being a shareholder minister of ASC, and I am deeply proud of the work that management and the workforce did to get that firm and that workforce to the level of expertise to deliver the outstanding outcomes that they have delivered over the years. There will be some 4,000 Australian jobs in the design phase and construction of the yard for the new submarine and 5½ thousand during the build of the submarines. Over the next years we estimate that over $30 billion will be invested in Australia's industry to deliver AUKUS. Our build and sustainment strategy is a further step in the Albanese government's commitment not only to strategic strength but also to a future made in Australia.