❓ Mr Papalia questions the Premier on WA's lack of success in securing shipbuilding contracts, the abolition of the defence industry advisory board, and the government's efforts to win future contracts. The Premier defends the government's actions and highlights WA's capabilities and ongoing involvement.
AnsweredQoN 725Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY — SHIPBUILDING CONTRACTS —DEFENCE
INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD
725. Mr P. PAPALIA to the
Premier:
I refer to the success of South Australia and Victoria in
winning Royal Australian Navy shipbuilding contracts during the Premier's
tenure in office.
(1) Why did
the government abolish the defence industry advisory board in 2009, noting that
it was unpaid, had members from every major defence contractor in the state and
had the role of advocating on behalf of local industry for a share of the
defence dollar?
(2) Which minister is currently responsible for representing
Western Australia's defence industry?
(3) What has this minister done to win a share of the future
frigate continuous build contract?
INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD
725. Mr P. PAPALIA to the
Premier:
I refer to the success of South Australia and Victoria in
winning Royal Australian Navy shipbuilding contracts during the Premier's
tenure in office.
(1) Why did
the government abolish the defence industry advisory board in 2009, noting that
it was unpaid, had members from every major defence contractor in the state and
had the role of advocating on behalf of local industry for a share of the
defence dollar?
(2) Which minister is currently responsible for representing
Western Australia's defence industry?
(3) What has this minister done to win a share of the future
frigate continuous build contract?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
I remind the member that it was the Liberal–National government that
created the Australian Marine Complex.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No, can I explain —
Mr F.M. Logan : It
was Hendy.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Hendy Cowan was the minister, but can I explain that when John Howard was Prime
Minister there were Federation projects around Australia and Western Australia,
and I was involved to some extent, selecting to develop the Australian Marine
Complex at Cockburn; and, the Gallop government added to it with the floating
dock facility. It has been good, very successful, and it will continue to be
supported.
I remind people that the naval contract projects will be
quite some time in the future—they go well into the 2020s. There is a
fair way to go on those, and the suggestion or implication is that this
government is not active in that area, but I assure members that we are.
Indeed, the head of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet has been meeting
with defence chiefs in Canberra recently on a range of issues. I am also
confident that Austal shipping will be a major contractor, certainly in the
patrol boats and most likely also the frigate project. Also, because the
Australian submarine fleet is located at Garden Island, we would expect
contractors to be involved in the construction, or parts thereof, of the
submarines, particularly the outer shell of the submarine, because the
technology at the AMC is greater than anywhere else in Australia in that
particular field. All that will happen, and we are actively involved. It is
also the case that the Department of State Development will become increasingly
involved in that work.
I remind the member that it was the Liberal–National government that
created the Australian Marine Complex.
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
No, can I explain —
Mr F.M. Logan : It
was Hendy.
Mr C.J. BARNETT :
Hendy Cowan was the minister, but can I explain that when John Howard was Prime
Minister there were Federation projects around Australia and Western Australia,
and I was involved to some extent, selecting to develop the Australian Marine
Complex at Cockburn; and, the Gallop government added to it with the floating
dock facility. It has been good, very successful, and it will continue to be
supported.
I remind people that the naval contract projects will be
quite some time in the future—they go well into the 2020s. There is a
fair way to go on those, and the suggestion or implication is that this
government is not active in that area, but I assure members that we are.
Indeed, the head of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet has been meeting
with defence chiefs in Canberra recently on a range of issues. I am also
confident that Austal shipping will be a major contractor, certainly in the
patrol boats and most likely also the frigate project. Also, because the
Australian submarine fleet is located at Garden Island, we would expect
contractors to be involved in the construction, or parts thereof, of the
submarines, particularly the outer shell of the submarine, because the
technology at the AMC is greater than anywhere else in Australia in that
particular field. All that will happen, and we are actively involved. It is
also the case that the Department of State Development will become increasingly
involved in that work.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.