❓ Question regarding the development of the local defence industry in Henderson, WA, following its transformation into a world-class defence precinct. The Minister outlines the government's long-term investment and strategic planning to make WA a vital part of the nation's defence strategy, including continuous shipbuilding and submarine maintenance.
AnsweredQoN 677Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DEFENCE
INDUSTRY — HENDERSON DEFENCE PRECINCT
677. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for Defence Industry:
Can I also congratulate you, Madam
Speaker, on your decades of service to the WA Parliament and acknowledge your
announcement of your retirement.
I refer to the announcement today
that Henderson in the great electorate of Kwinana, but soon to be in the great
electorate of Cockburn, will be transformed into a world-class defence
precinct.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house how this
long-term investment will further develop our local defence industry?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house what work this government has undertaken to ensure
that Western Australia will be a vital part of the nation's defence
strategy?
INDUSTRY — HENDERSON DEFENCE PRECINCT
677. Mr D.A.E. SCAIFE to the Minister for Defence Industry:
Can I also congratulate you, Madam
Speaker, on your decades of service to the WA Parliament and acknowledge your
announcement of your retirement.
I refer to the announcement today
that Henderson in the great electorate of Kwinana, but soon to be in the great
electorate of Cockburn, will be transformed into a world-class defence
precinct.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house how this
long-term investment will further develop our local defence industry?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house what work this government has undertaken to ensure
that Western Australia will be a vital part of the nation's defence
strategy?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. Can I also join others in congratulating you, Speaker, on the many
extraordinary achievements you have delivered in service to the state. You have
been a trailblazer in so many different fields of endeavour, but noting that I hold
the police portfolio, I am very sensitive to the fact that you have, as you
have outlined, achieved extraordinary measures of improvement, not only in
community safety, but also very much in the wellbeing and welfare of officers
in the Western Australia Police Force. I know that that motivated you, and it
is an enduring legacy that you should be very proud of.
(1)–(2) I thank the member. I am also sensitive to the fact
that if I survive the next election, I think I am going to be the father
of the house! That is scary! This morning we saw the cooperation agreement
signed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Premier Cook—an
extraordinary and historic moment. Western Australians can be proud of the fact
that we will now become the home of the biggest naval maintenance hub in the
entire Southern Hemisphere. That is an extraordinary thing to contemplate. We will have the back of not only our defence forces,
but also those of our allies, to ensure that they are afforded the best
possible support as they go in harm's way on our behalf. That is an
incredible thing. It is coupled with the federal government's
announcement last year of its commitment to continuous shipbuilding in Western Australia,
which will ultimately result in Western Australians building general-purpose
frigates and other different classes of ships for evermore. As one class
of ships reaches completion, another class will roll on. There will be
certainty, continuity and no more ''valley of death'' concerns
with regard to the construction of ships in Western
Australia. That, coupled with the commitment to depot-level maintenance
of nuclear submarines, is an extraordinary thing. This represents huge
opportunities for our businesses. Right now, many of our Western Australian
businesses have the capacity to reach into the US and, potentially, British
nuclear submarine supply chains. The realisation of that will come as a consequence
of what has been done.
There
are so many more beneficial things. This is a multigenerational opportunity for
Western Australians . People can aspire to careers for their entire lives
in this sector; I have seen that in other parts of the world where they have
concentration of activities of this nature. Multiple generations of the same
families know that they have opportunities in the field.
This
did not happen by chance. In 2016, when we were in opposition, we saw that
there was no voice for Western Australia on the national defence stage, so we
made a commitment to create a portfolio. We appointed a minister with an
office to support defence activity in the public sector and be a defence
advocate. We did all that in our first year of government, in 2017. In our
second year, we published the Western Australian
defence and defence industries strategic plan , which set the objective of making us the premier site for submarine
and frigate maintenance in this country, and we are now delivering that. We
also created an Indian Ocean Defence and Security conference and a string of
other events, including a public campaign
to educate both Western Australians and, very much, the eastern seaboard and
the people in Canberra who make
decisions about these matters about Western Australia's capacity and
its importance to the defence industry sector. That has been criticised by some
as being somehow political or inappropriate. Well, that criticism rings hollow.
We, the federal government and the Australian Defence Force have confirmed that
WA is the site for depot-level maintenance of submarines and for continuous
naval shipbuilding. It is an extraordinary thing. The McGowan government set
the vision; the Cook government has now delivered.
question. Can I also join others in congratulating you, Speaker, on the many
extraordinary achievements you have delivered in service to the state. You have
been a trailblazer in so many different fields of endeavour, but noting that I hold
the police portfolio, I am very sensitive to the fact that you have, as you
have outlined, achieved extraordinary measures of improvement, not only in
community safety, but also very much in the wellbeing and welfare of officers
in the Western Australia Police Force. I know that that motivated you, and it
is an enduring legacy that you should be very proud of.
(1)–(2) I thank the member. I am also sensitive to the fact
that if I survive the next election, I think I am going to be the father
of the house! That is scary! This morning we saw the cooperation agreement
signed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Premier Cook—an
extraordinary and historic moment. Western Australians can be proud of the fact
that we will now become the home of the biggest naval maintenance hub in the
entire Southern Hemisphere. That is an extraordinary thing to contemplate. We will have the back of not only our defence forces,
but also those of our allies, to ensure that they are afforded the best
possible support as they go in harm's way on our behalf. That is an
incredible thing. It is coupled with the federal government's
announcement last year of its commitment to continuous shipbuilding in Western Australia,
which will ultimately result in Western Australians building general-purpose
frigates and other different classes of ships for evermore. As one class
of ships reaches completion, another class will roll on. There will be
certainty, continuity and no more ''valley of death'' concerns
with regard to the construction of ships in Western
Australia. That, coupled with the commitment to depot-level maintenance
of nuclear submarines, is an extraordinary thing. This represents huge
opportunities for our businesses. Right now, many of our Western Australian
businesses have the capacity to reach into the US and, potentially, British
nuclear submarine supply chains. The realisation of that will come as a consequence
of what has been done.
There
are so many more beneficial things. This is a multigenerational opportunity for
Western Australians . People can aspire to careers for their entire lives
in this sector; I have seen that in other parts of the world where they have
concentration of activities of this nature. Multiple generations of the same
families know that they have opportunities in the field.
This
did not happen by chance. In 2016, when we were in opposition, we saw that
there was no voice for Western Australia on the national defence stage, so we
made a commitment to create a portfolio. We appointed a minister with an
office to support defence activity in the public sector and be a defence
advocate. We did all that in our first year of government, in 2017. In our
second year, we published the Western Australian
defence and defence industries strategic plan , which set the objective of making us the premier site for submarine
and frigate maintenance in this country, and we are now delivering that. We
also created an Indian Ocean Defence and Security conference and a string of
other events, including a public campaign
to educate both Western Australians and, very much, the eastern seaboard and
the people in Canberra who make
decisions about these matters about Western Australia's capacity and
its importance to the defence industry sector. That has been criticised by some
as being somehow political or inappropriate. Well, that criticism rings hollow.
We, the federal government and the Australian Defence Force have confirmed that
WA is the site for depot-level maintenance of submarines and for continuous
naval shipbuilding. It is an extraordinary thing. The McGowan government set
the vision; the Cook government has now delivered.
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