Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week's AUKUS announcement marked a transformational moment for our nation, our Defence Force and our economy. The significance of this announcement to my home state of South Australia cannot be underestimated. South Australia holds manufacturing in its heart, but for far too long all those workers at Osborne and at every small and medium sized enterprise engaging with this work have been in limbo. There was uncertainty under the previous government around the future of full-cycle docking work, there were promises of jobs that were never realised, and there was Christmas after Christmas of uncertainty, but, with this announcement, the future looks much more secure.

The announcement of AUKUS is a watershed moment. It represents the single largest investment in Australia's defence capability in our history. The heart of this program is in South Australia. The decision to build the future Australian fleet of submarines at Osborne presents the biggest economic opportunity for our state since the end of the Second World War. The enormous educational, employment and infrastructure investment required to prepare South Australia for this build will be transformational for my state. It will provide thousands of workers in South Australia with great jobs and secure jobs, and this investment will flow into the hundreds of small and medium sized enterprises involved in the supply chain at each part of the development. AUKUS presents South Australia with an opportunity to restore its great place at the centre of Australian manufacturing, where it belongs. It will transform future opportunities for the next generation of South Australians, and I welcome that today.