David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. Will the minister update the Senate on the action the Turnbull government is taking to ensure that Australia has a skilled workforce to meet the needs of our significant naval shipbuilding projects?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for his question. Senator Bushby, of course, is perhaps one of the best qualified to ask a question on this topic. As, I suspect, the only graduate of a maritime college in this federal parliament, Senator Bushby indeed understands some of these training issues and the opportunities better than almost anybody.

The Turnbull government is very proud to be pursuing Australia's largest ever defence capability investment. As Senator Payne has touched on many times in this chamber, these are significant groundbreaking, changing investments: the $3 billion Offshore Patrol Vessel, the $35 billion Future Frigate Program, the $50 billion SEA1000 Future Submarine Program. All of them, of course, will dramatically enhance our future defence capability, most importantly, but they will also drive defence industry development around Australia and, through that, the creation of many thousands of jobs—an estimated 5,200 jobs over the next 10 years—which will be generated across Australia as a result of these undertakings.

Most critical to the successful delivery of Defence capability and the optimisation of the defence industry potential is, of course, having a skilled workforce in place. That is why we are taking a proactive national approach to naval shipbuilding workforce development and skills. My department, along with the Department of Defence, have been engaging across the country in discussions about how best to do this, and we have announced plans for a $25 million naval shipbuilding college to help coordinate the education and training requirements across the country that will be necessary to deliver the skills that are necessary. This will be an opportunity for all states, and all educational and training institutions who have the right skills, to engage in helping to deliver the workforce that is required for success in the defence industry and to fill those more than 5,000 jobs that we are proudly creating.

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

Senator Bushby, a supplementary question.

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise what opportunities the naval shipbuilding college will provide across Australia?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, across Australia the college will generate many opportunities through collaboration with education and training providers. It will take a hub-and-spoke approach in terms of its engagement, identifying the skill needs for successful delivery of the naval shipbuilding projects and then, where necessary, potentially procuring the development of those training packages and programs to fill those needs in the future. It will be complementary to, work with and engage with existing institutions, rather than replacing any of them. The college will seek to identify, attract, train and retrain more than 1,500 people in the first few years of operation, and it will be a truly national endeavour befitting, of course, the national endeavour that is the naval shipbuilding program itself. Over 100 universities and training providers already provide particular skills in terms of naval shipbuilding and operations right around the country, including in engineering, precision welding, electrotechnology and naval architecture, and we want to leverage those existing capabilities as much as we possibly can.

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

Senator Bushby, a final supplementary question.

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the minister outline how existing universities and training institutions will be part of building the naval shipbuilding workforce?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, we want to leverage wherever we possibly can. There are many good examples where we are able to do so. For example, the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania, where Senator Bushby studied, provides maritime engineering, naval architecture and maritime and logistics management. The government has had engagement with the University of Tasmania and the Australian Maritime College to outline how we believe they can benefit, and we will absolutely be continuing that engagement with them to make sure that they are appraised of the opportunities that our new maritime technical college program will provide. It should mean more students studying in Launceston, but it should also mean more students studying in many locations around the country. In Western Australia, the South Metropolitan TAFE already provides courses like an engineering certificate III in ship building, which will provide opportunities particularly tied to the Henderson shipyards and the work that will be undertaken there in Perth. Equally, South Australia's three public universities, TAFE SA and defence industry association are collaborating on opportunities that they see: opportunities across states, across the spectrum from the thousands of jobs we are generating. (Time expired)