Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Payne. I refer to the former Prime Minister's commitment in Adelaide last year that the offshore patrol vessel build:

… is likely to start in Adelaide … It will stay in Adelaide until the frigate build starts in 2020 …

Is this the Turnbull government's position?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Wong for her question. As the senator is aware, when the continuous shipbuilding plan was announced by the then Prime Minister in Adelaide last year, it was a very important step for Australia's naval shipbuilding industry. In fact, it, as well as the commencement of the competitive evaluation process for the future submarines, is the first real undertaking by government, post the period where those opposite commissioned not one single naval vessel, to actually engage in this key replacement of capability for the Australian Navy. Part of the continuous ship build will include the construction of offshore patrol vessels, future frigates and, of course, in due course, the future submarines. It has been made very clear that the competitive evaluation process for both the future frigates and the offshore patrol vessels is currently underway, and I do not intend to second-guess that.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Were South Australian cabinet ministers Mr Pyne and Senator Birmingham party to the decision by the Turnbull government to walk away from Mr Abbott's commitment to South Australia on the offshore patrol vessel build?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong's question is completely erroneous and completely misplaced.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, as a final supplementary question, I ask the minister: if the question is erroneous, could she then commit, as she failed to do in her first question, to the same position that Prime Minister Abbott announced? Can she also confirm that the Turnbull government is still refusing to honour the Liberals' pre-election promise that 12 new submarines will be built in Adelaide?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I constructively suggest to the good senator that, in due course, when the government releases the upcoming defence white paper, the integrated investment program and the new defence industry policy statement, which I have indicated will be released in the first quarter of this year, a number of the questions which the senator has raised will, indeed, be addressed.

In relation to the competitive evaluation processes, I think it is very important to put this on the record: they require a very significant degree of probity around them to ensure that they are carried out in an exemplary manner. It is a very important aspect of this. I suspect those opposite are the first people who would try to impugn our integrity if we undermined the probity of those competitive evaluation processes. The commitment was very clear. The senator is very welcome to go to the record in relation to the future frigates, which will start in Adelaide in 2018 and in 2020 for both ships. (Time expired)