❓ A parliamentary question regarding the McGowan government's defence industry strategy and its impact on job creation and investment in Western Australia. The Minister's answer outlines the strategic plan's focus on collaboration with the federal government and the ADF, workforce development, and infrastructure investment.
AnsweredQoN 906Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MCGOWAN GOVERNMENT —
DEFENCE INDUSTRY STRATEGY
906. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Defence Issues:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to growing Western Australia's defence
industries and creating new jobs in defence manufacturing. Can the minister
advise the house how this government's defence industry strategy is
already delivering real jobs and new investment for Western Australians?
DEFENCE INDUSTRY STRATEGY
906. MR S.J. PRICE to the Minister for Defence Issues:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to growing Western Australia's defence
industries and creating new jobs in defence manufacturing. Can the minister
advise the house how this government's defence industry strategy is
already delivering real jobs and new investment for Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his interest
in the Western Australia defence industry, in particular the jobs that workers
are able to access as a consequence of growth in that sector. In my absence
last week, the Governor opened the inaugural Indo–Pacific Defence
Conference, and at that conference the Premier launched the first ever Western Australian
defence and defence industry strategic plan. A flurry of publications was
associated with that conference. A good one from The West Australian was
the Western Defence magazine, which contains some great photos—I
commend the photos in the centre spread. There is a picture of a bloke in white
in between a couple of blokes in cams that members might want to have a look
at. The launch of the WA Defence Review took place. I wanted to refer to
the release of Serge DeSilva-Ranasinghe's long-awaited magazine. It is
a good, august publication on Western Australian defence, giving a view of the
defence sector through Western Australian eyes.
The defence and defence industry
strategic plan was launched by the Premier at the conference, and that is a significant
step up in focus on defence and the defence industry by the state government of
Western Australia. I want to place on the Hansard record acknowledgement
by the state government of the author, predominantly, of the publication, Major
General Jeff Sengelman, DSC, CSC, (rtd), whom we engaged to provide strategic advice
to the state government around the defence industry and the defence sector in
general. The amount of work the major general did was extraordinary, including
consulting with everyone across the sector and across the state, working
collaboratively as a result of our engagement with the federal government, with
Minister Pyne's office, working with the Defence Force itself, and also
with civilian defence people in Canberra to ensure that, for the first time
anywhere in the country, our strategy is being developed in conjunction with
the federal government and the Australian Defence Force to ensure that the Western
Australian government strategy on defence meets the needs of the ADF. When we
are advocating for infrastructure, pursuing workforce development plans and
looking at what Western Australia can contribute in the defence sector, it
meets the needs of our people in uniform, with the primary aim of ensuring
their safety, and that they get the best equipment and the best support
possible around the globe, and that Western Australian industries are part of
that. That is a significant contribution. It means that there will be jobs in Western
Australia in the defence sector, because we will be world class. We will be
meeting the needs of defence. We will not be going out on tangents and arguing
the case for things that may not be of interest to the Defence Force.
There are some key elements to the
plan. It is focused on supporting a strong and enduring defence presence. We
are looking at working with defence on the location of force disposition in Western
Australia. We are also making the case for the maintenance and sustainment of
submarines and frigates in the long term. It is essential that the full-cycle
docking of the Collins-class submarines is shifted from South Australia to Western
Australia before about 2024. That is known widely in defence circles. It means
that we need to build a skilled workforce here in Western Australia, not
currently resident, of 500 or so skilled workers, and expenditure of significant
amounts of money on infrastructure will be necessary to support that activity.
That is something we are focused on as part of the strategic plan.
The conference itself created jobs,
because it put another significant business conference into one of our hotels,
providing opportunities for people working in the hospitality sector. The big
thing that was announced in conjunction with the strategic plan was the focus
of Defence West in the near future on making the business case to the federal
government and the ADF to shift the full-cycle docking of the Collins-class
submarines to Western Australia in the near term. A lot of work needs to be
done in advance of that shift to ensure that we have the workforce and the
infrastructure necessary to support that activity. My good friend Christopher
Pyne made an announcement when he was here that the next survey vessel for the
Royal Australian Navy will be built in Western Australia, a $200 million
commitment made as a consequence of the advocacy by the McGowan government, and
only enabled because, for the first time in history, Western Australia has a presence
in the defence space. We are now known to Canberra. It respects the Western Australian
state government as being knowledgeable and working in the interests of the
nation, and Western Australian industry and Western Australian workers are
getting the benefit.
in the Western Australia defence industry, in particular the jobs that workers
are able to access as a consequence of growth in that sector. In my absence
last week, the Governor opened the inaugural Indo–Pacific Defence
Conference, and at that conference the Premier launched the first ever Western Australian
defence and defence industry strategic plan. A flurry of publications was
associated with that conference. A good one from The West Australian was
the Western Defence magazine, which contains some great photos—I
commend the photos in the centre spread. There is a picture of a bloke in white
in between a couple of blokes in cams that members might want to have a look
at. The launch of the WA Defence Review took place. I wanted to refer to
the release of Serge DeSilva-Ranasinghe's long-awaited magazine. It is
a good, august publication on Western Australian defence, giving a view of the
defence sector through Western Australian eyes.
The defence and defence industry
strategic plan was launched by the Premier at the conference, and that is a significant
step up in focus on defence and the defence industry by the state government of
Western Australia. I want to place on the Hansard record acknowledgement
by the state government of the author, predominantly, of the publication, Major
General Jeff Sengelman, DSC, CSC, (rtd), whom we engaged to provide strategic advice
to the state government around the defence industry and the defence sector in
general. The amount of work the major general did was extraordinary, including
consulting with everyone across the sector and across the state, working
collaboratively as a result of our engagement with the federal government, with
Minister Pyne's office, working with the Defence Force itself, and also
with civilian defence people in Canberra to ensure that, for the first time
anywhere in the country, our strategy is being developed in conjunction with
the federal government and the Australian Defence Force to ensure that the Western
Australian government strategy on defence meets the needs of the ADF. When we
are advocating for infrastructure, pursuing workforce development plans and
looking at what Western Australia can contribute in the defence sector, it
meets the needs of our people in uniform, with the primary aim of ensuring
their safety, and that they get the best equipment and the best support
possible around the globe, and that Western Australian industries are part of
that. That is a significant contribution. It means that there will be jobs in Western
Australia in the defence sector, because we will be world class. We will be
meeting the needs of defence. We will not be going out on tangents and arguing
the case for things that may not be of interest to the Defence Force.
There are some key elements to the
plan. It is focused on supporting a strong and enduring defence presence. We
are looking at working with defence on the location of force disposition in Western
Australia. We are also making the case for the maintenance and sustainment of
submarines and frigates in the long term. It is essential that the full-cycle
docking of the Collins-class submarines is shifted from South Australia to Western
Australia before about 2024. That is known widely in defence circles. It means
that we need to build a skilled workforce here in Western Australia, not
currently resident, of 500 or so skilled workers, and expenditure of significant
amounts of money on infrastructure will be necessary to support that activity.
That is something we are focused on as part of the strategic plan.
The conference itself created jobs,
because it put another significant business conference into one of our hotels,
providing opportunities for people working in the hospitality sector. The big
thing that was announced in conjunction with the strategic plan was the focus
of Defence West in the near future on making the business case to the federal
government and the ADF to shift the full-cycle docking of the Collins-class
submarines to Western Australia in the near term. A lot of work needs to be
done in advance of that shift to ensure that we have the workforce and the
infrastructure necessary to support that activity. My good friend Christopher
Pyne made an announcement when he was here that the next survey vessel for the
Royal Australian Navy will be built in Western Australia, a $200 million
commitment made as a consequence of the advocacy by the McGowan government, and
only enabled because, for the first time in history, Western Australia has a presence
in the defence space. We are now known to Canberra. It respects the Western Australian
state government as being knowledgeable and working in the interests of the
nation, and Western Australian industry and Western Australian workers are
getting the benefit.
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