❓ Mr. Whitby questions the Premier on efforts to secure Collins-class submarine maintenance jobs for WA, highlighting economic benefits and concerns about threats to WA's opportunity. The Premier details WA's advantages and criticizes SA senators' actions.
AnsweredQoN 36Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COLLINS-CLASS SUBMARINE MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM
Mr R.R. WHITBY : Mr Speaker!
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys.
Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS : Thank
you, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Sorry! I have
got it the wrong way around. The member for Baldivis.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I make mistakes!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We are pretty
quick.
36. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Premier:
My
question is one that the people of Baldivis will be very keen to hear. I refer
to the McGowan Labor government's unprecedented efforts in
securing more defence industry jobs for Western Australians and its ongoing
fight to secure the Collins-class submarine full-cycle docking work.
(1) Can the
Premier update the house on this government's efforts to secure these
defence maintenance jobs?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is threatening WA's
opportunity to secure this work?
PROGRAM
Mr R.R. WHITBY : Mr Speaker!
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys.
Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS : Thank
you, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER : Sorry! I have
got it the wrong way around. The member for Baldivis.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I make mistakes!
Mr R.R. WHITBY : We are pretty
quick.
36. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Premier:
My
question is one that the people of Baldivis will be very keen to hear. I refer
to the McGowan Labor government's unprecedented efforts in
securing more defence industry jobs for Western Australians and its ongoing
fight to secure the Collins-class submarine full-cycle docking work.
(1) Can the
Premier update the house on this government's efforts to secure these
defence maintenance jobs?
(2) Can the
Premier advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who is threatening WA's
opportunity to secure this work?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Baldivis for the question. He knows how important this
contract is for Western Australia. The economic benefits are enormous. We
expect up to 3 000 jobs will be created in Western Australia when and if we
secure this work, and an injection of over $8 billion into the Western Australian
economy. We are determined that all Collins-class submarine maintenance comes
to Western Australia, and that includes the full-cycle docking of the
submarines. They are based here, the crews are based here and the strongest
industry is based here. South Australia does not have the workforce capacity to
deliver full-cycle docking at the same time as building 12 new submarines and a
surface ship construction program for new frigates. It does not have the
resources to do it. If full-cycle docking remains in South Australia, there
will no doubt be delays. Obviously the Collins-class is a very important
defence asset for Australia, and I would hate to see their capability
jeopardised. We already have a very highly skilled
workforce at Henderson. We have a large ex-service community. We have an
industry with offshore oil and gas that is very capable, and a shipbuilding
industry on top of that to do all the other maintenance work on the
Collins-class as well.
We
have invested $2.4 million in a new TAFE shipbuilding training facility at
Naval Base. We have reduced TAFE fees for people to get into these courses and
committed a business case to the commonwealth with very significant investment
in infrastructure and training designed to support this program. We were
expecting a decision late last year, but we are still waiting and we are still
hopeful that a positive decision will be made for Western Australia. As the
decision drags on, I am concerned about some of the threats being made, in
particular the Centre Alliance party in South Australia and a Senator Rex
Patrick, who is essentially trying to politically blackmail the federal
government. Senator Patrick is threatening to block not only the federal
government's anti-worker so-called ''ensuring integrity''
laws, but all legislation if the Collins-class full-cycle docking contract
comes to Western Australia. We are now in a bizarre and shocking position
nationally, in which senators from South Australia—no doubt elected by
very few people—are threatening our state using a form of legislative
blackmail. The anti-workers' laws should not go ahead, and they
certainly should not be used as a bargaining tool to damage Australia's
defence capability and Western Australia. I urge the federal government and Western
Australian federal ministers such as Christian Porter to make the right
decision and not trade Western Australian jobs for their legislative agenda,
and to not pass laws that hurt low-paid workers.
thank the member for Baldivis for the question. He knows how important this
contract is for Western Australia. The economic benefits are enormous. We
expect up to 3 000 jobs will be created in Western Australia when and if we
secure this work, and an injection of over $8 billion into the Western Australian
economy. We are determined that all Collins-class submarine maintenance comes
to Western Australia, and that includes the full-cycle docking of the
submarines. They are based here, the crews are based here and the strongest
industry is based here. South Australia does not have the workforce capacity to
deliver full-cycle docking at the same time as building 12 new submarines and a
surface ship construction program for new frigates. It does not have the
resources to do it. If full-cycle docking remains in South Australia, there
will no doubt be delays. Obviously the Collins-class is a very important
defence asset for Australia, and I would hate to see their capability
jeopardised. We already have a very highly skilled
workforce at Henderson. We have a large ex-service community. We have an
industry with offshore oil and gas that is very capable, and a shipbuilding
industry on top of that to do all the other maintenance work on the
Collins-class as well.
We
have invested $2.4 million in a new TAFE shipbuilding training facility at
Naval Base. We have reduced TAFE fees for people to get into these courses and
committed a business case to the commonwealth with very significant investment
in infrastructure and training designed to support this program. We were
expecting a decision late last year, but we are still waiting and we are still
hopeful that a positive decision will be made for Western Australia. As the
decision drags on, I am concerned about some of the threats being made, in
particular the Centre Alliance party in South Australia and a Senator Rex
Patrick, who is essentially trying to politically blackmail the federal
government. Senator Patrick is threatening to block not only the federal
government's anti-worker so-called ''ensuring integrity''
laws, but all legislation if the Collins-class full-cycle docking contract
comes to Western Australia. We are now in a bizarre and shocking position
nationally, in which senators from South Australia—no doubt elected by
very few people—are threatening our state using a form of legislative
blackmail. The anti-workers' laws should not go ahead, and they
certainly should not be used as a bargaining tool to damage Australia's
defence capability and Western Australia. I urge the federal government and Western
Australian federal ministers such as Christian Porter to make the right
decision and not trade Western Australian jobs for their legislative agenda,
and to not pass laws that hurt low-paid workers.
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