❓ Ms. Hamilton questions the Premier on WA's efforts to secure Collins-class submarine maintenance and urges the federal government to resolve the matter. The Premier outlines WA's investments and concerns about delays and potential bias towards South Australia.
AnsweredQoN 903Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COLLINS-CLASS SUBMARINE
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
903. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented commitment to securing more defence manufacturing work for Western
Australia, particularly as the economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house what measures this government has taken to demonstrate
why Western Australia is best placed to undertake full-cycle docking of
Collins-class submarines?
(2) Can the Premier outline to the house why the
federal government needs to end the uncertainty and urgently resolve
this matter?
MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
903. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Premier:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
unprecedented commitment to securing more defence manufacturing work for Western
Australia, particularly as the economy recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.
(1) Can the
Premier advise the house what measures this government has taken to demonstrate
why Western Australia is best placed to undertake full-cycle docking of
Collins-class submarines?
(2) Can the Premier outline to the house why the
federal government needs to end the uncertainty and urgently resolve
this matter?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Joondalup for the question. Since we have been in office,
the Minister for Defence Issues has been
working incredibly hard to secure more defence manufacturing work for Western Australia. We have put forward a range of initiatives that have never been done before. We
have a defence advocate, Defence West. We
have invested nearly $100 million in upgrading the Australian Maritime Complex
to ensure that we are ready and able
to undertake full-cycle docking in Western Australia of Collins-class
submarines . Collins-class submarines
have to undergo full-cycle docking regularly—one of the six submarines
is always in this condition.
We
have put the case to the commonwealth government that undertaking full-cycle
docking in South Australia, when the six submarines are based in Western
Australia, does not make any sense. We have more capable industry here. The
crews are based here. The submarines are based here. Best practice around the
world is to maintain the defence assets close to where they are based. That is
what ordinarily happens. We do not sail them 3 000 kilometres away to undertake
that work.
As I said, we committed around $100
million to work at the Australian Marine Complex as part of our plan. We have
announced that around $20 million of that will be put towards training and
improvements for the workforce to ensure that Western Australians are able to
undertake this work.
We have a concern, and I have written
to the Prime Minister about this—that is, that the commonwealth government,
despite saying that it would make a decision by the end of last year, has not
made a decision.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Do not defend
it. The Liberal Party is defending it once again.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members to my
left!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The advice
given by the commonwealth government was that a decision on this would be made
by December 2019. We are now nearly a year past that deadline. We have now
heard via press reports that a decision will
not be made until late 2022. What concerns us about this is that due to inertia—or
perhaps deliberately due to inertia—the
commonwealth's aim is to leave the full-cycle docking in South
Australia. That is very concerning . Obviously, South Australia has the
manufacturing or the building of the attack-class submarines and the new
frigates. South Australia will obviously be full of work provided by the
commonwealth government. That is the South Australian way. But certainly the
maintenance, the full-cycle docking of the submarines that are based in Western
Australia, should be undertaken in Western Australia. I have written to the
Prime Minister requesting that that happen, and I just hope that this inaction
and failure by the commonwealth to make a decision is not an attempt to ensure
that the full-cycle docking remains in South Australia.
thank the member for Joondalup for the question. Since we have been in office,
the Minister for Defence Issues has been
working incredibly hard to secure more defence manufacturing work for Western Australia. We have put forward a range of initiatives that have never been done before. We
have a defence advocate, Defence West. We
have invested nearly $100 million in upgrading the Australian Maritime Complex
to ensure that we are ready and able
to undertake full-cycle docking in Western Australia of Collins-class
submarines . Collins-class submarines
have to undergo full-cycle docking regularly—one of the six submarines
is always in this condition.
We
have put the case to the commonwealth government that undertaking full-cycle
docking in South Australia, when the six submarines are based in Western
Australia, does not make any sense. We have more capable industry here. The
crews are based here. The submarines are based here. Best practice around the
world is to maintain the defence assets close to where they are based. That is
what ordinarily happens. We do not sail them 3 000 kilometres away to undertake
that work.
As I said, we committed around $100
million to work at the Australian Marine Complex as part of our plan. We have
announced that around $20 million of that will be put towards training and
improvements for the workforce to ensure that Western Australians are able to
undertake this work.
We have a concern, and I have written
to the Prime Minister about this—that is, that the commonwealth government,
despite saying that it would make a decision by the end of last year, has not
made a decision.
Several members interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN : Do not defend
it. The Liberal Party is defending it once again.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members to my
left!
Mr M. McGOWAN : The advice
given by the commonwealth government was that a decision on this would be made
by December 2019. We are now nearly a year past that deadline. We have now
heard via press reports that a decision will
not be made until late 2022. What concerns us about this is that due to inertia—or
perhaps deliberately due to inertia—the
commonwealth's aim is to leave the full-cycle docking in South
Australia. That is very concerning . Obviously, South Australia has the
manufacturing or the building of the attack-class submarines and the new
frigates. South Australia will obviously be full of work provided by the
commonwealth government. That is the South Australian way. But certainly the
maintenance, the full-cycle docking of the submarines that are based in Western
Australia, should be undertaken in Western Australia. I have written to the
Prime Minister requesting that that happen, and I just hope that this inaction
and failure by the commonwealth to make a decision is not an attempt to ensure
that the full-cycle docking remains in South Australia.
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