Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2021 Australia announced the AUKUS agreement with the US and the UK. Many in my state saw this as a great opportunity for Western Australia, anticipating submarine rotations at HMAS Stirling by 2027. That deadline is now three years away, yet we still haven't witnessed any infrastructure initiatives from the state or federal Labor governments to prepare for these submarines and their crews. Just yesterday, the Financial Review reported that the Western Australian Minister for Defence Industry implied there would be delays with the design of the future SSN-AUKUS that would be built for the British and Australian navies. Meanwhile, a former defence department official has said it is almost inevitable that the 2042 deadline for Australia to receive its first locally built submarine will be missed.

The Labor government is also dragging its feet to invest in road works that are necessary to accommodate the increase in defence vehicles and traffic congestion. The many requests from local government for the redevelopment of Garden Island Causeway and Parkin Street seem to be falling on deaf ears. It's no secret Western Australia is in a housing crisis. But it is unclear whether the national housing accord has considered the 700 submariners and their families that are expected to arrive in three years time. Nor is it clear the spouses of these submariners will be able to find a job. Many of them are nurses and teachers. Yet the Labor government is delaying action to develop accreditation recognition so that those people can join our workforce. This government has failed to address infrastructure shortcomings, housing scarcity, and skills and training needs, rendering our entire state unprepared. We don't just need a plan now; we needed a plan yesterday.