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

My question is to Senator Ronaldson, the Minister representing the Minister for Industry and Science. I refer to the tragic announcement this morning that BAE will let go a further 125 workers, bringing total job losses at BAE the in last year to around 600. This is a direct result of the Abbott government's failure to provide any meaningful work for the shipyards around the country after nearly two years in office. Why does the Prime Minister continue to put his own job ahead of the jobs of hundreds of shipbuilders in Williamstown?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on both sides.

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

I am a little surprised that Senator Carr, having asked an almost identical question a couple of days ago, has put his chin out again in relation to this issue—

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

There have been 125 people today on your watch.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! You have asked your question, Senator Carr.

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

The realities are, as everyone in this chamber knows, that for six years the former government sat on its hands in relation to this vital part of this nation's manufacturing sector. The realities are that the person who was responsible primarily for this is the person who is asking this question.

I will go through it again because clearly Senator Carr either was not listening or does not care; I suspect that probably, on the back of his time as industry minister, it is the latter. As I referred to the other day, over the next two decades—and I will read it very slowly so that you can hear it—Australia will invest over $89 billion to acquire and sustain new submarines, frigates, offshore patrol vessels and other specialist naval vessels. A significant amount of the work to build these new ships will be undertaken in Australia. The Australian naval shipbuilding industry will play a critical role in the regeneration of the Navy's fleet. This investment— (Time expired)

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Again I ask: why has the Abbott government refused to take the same course of action as their conservative counterparts in the United Kingdom, which have recognised the importance of domestic shipbuilding and awarded a patrol boat contract to BAA in order to avoid a shutdown?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Would that be BAE?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

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

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

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to the most recent unemployment data, which confirms that for the first time in 20 years more than 800,000 Australians are unemployed. Does the minister agree with Mr Leon White, a boilermaker from BAE who is in the parliament today, that there is sufficient work to share around in order to keep the Williamstown yard open?

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Senator Kim Carr interjecting—

Senator Edwards interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, you have asked your question. Order, Senator Edwards.

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

As Graham Richardson said, Kim Carr lives in a parallel universe. He is now squealing about loss of jobs—jobs that we actually want to protect and jobs that we will protect by bringing forward this naval building plan to. But, for Senator Carr, who sat on his hands for six years, to do nothing at all means that Graham Richardson is absolutely right. He is completely—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order going to relevance to this particular question. This question is about the idea that there would be enough work if it could be relocated and that it would be able to keep Williamstown alive. That is the question, and half the time is gone. I just thought it might be useful to draw that question to the minister's attention.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I remind you of the question. You have 28 seconds in which to answer.

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

I was asked about naval shipbuilding jobs. What I said to the chamber was that under the former government, there was nothing at all; under this government, there will be. We are determined to build and protect this vital industry in this country and we will not be lectured to by those opposite, who did absolutely nothing at all in six years—did not build, no plans, no plan whatsoever.