DEFENCE INDUSTRY

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:13): My question is also to the Premier. Can the Premier expand on the progress of the air warfare destroyer program and the future submarines project?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:13): I can. I had the pleasure today of attending the keel-laying ceremony for the first of three air warfare destroyers being assembled at Techport, together with the Minister for Defence, the federal Minister for Defence Materiel and, of course, the federal finance minister.

This $8 billion project underscores the importance of South Australia to our nation's defence industry and, of course, the importance of the defence industry to South Australia. As I said before, we are home to about a quarter of the nation's defence spend, and this project itself is projected to provide at its peak something in the order of 1,700 jobs and almost $300 million annually to the South Australian economy.

The keel laying for the first destroyer Hobart is a significant milestone in the AWD project and marks the start of the next phase in the delivery of these three warships. The Hobart is now quickly taking shape.

The commonwealth also today announced a delay in the AWD project schedule. While on the face of it, that seems a concern, it does assist with a particular issue that was going to arise in that there would be a gap between the end of the air warfare destroyer contract and the future submarine contract without this initiative—

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: This, of course, is going to be important to make sure that we have the skills available to participate in the future submarine project. Today, the commonwealth recommitted itself to the 12 new submarines in the future submarine contract and we'd invite you to speak to your federal colleague to get him to do the same thing. I'd also like to—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —in the next—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I don't think it will, actually. I don't think it will.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Davenport, order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We'll be taking it as far as we can.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Davenport, remove yourself from the chamber for the rest of question time.

The honourable member for Davenport having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The member for Davenport could perhaps better assist us by using his endeavours to advocate with the federal opposition leader to ensure that the federal opposition gives the same level of commitment to this project that the federal government has given.

To cement South Australia as the home of the future submarine project, the commonwealth took another important step today. It announced the establishment of a design centre for the future submarine project to be set up in Adelaide. This is an incredibly important step in the process. This will allow us—

Mrs Redmond: When?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The decision was taken today. The project will proceed and ensure that hundreds of people—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Now.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: So, the project—

Mr Pisoni: How many dollars?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: There are already people working in the design team. It will build up in the order of hundreds of people, in fact, by the time that the project is underway. This is a very important step in cementing this as the home of the future submarine project.

It is clear that at the core of advanced manufacturing capability are skills and capabilities which exist in the defence sector. We are already seeing that emerging where people who have been working in the defence sector are able to work across a range of other sectors. A number of defence contractors who have been attracted into South Australia have been attracted off the back of the opportunities to work not only in defence, but in—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I don't know what they think a day's work is here. They think their day's work is to come in here and shout and then pull up stumps and then swing on the hammock until the next time we have question time—back to the farm.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr PISONI: Point of order: the Premier should return to the substance of the question, Madam Speaker.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: You come in here and shout at us for an hour and then go home and have a snooze. They have got to be the laziest opposition in the history of this state.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. I presume your point of order is relevance.

Mr PISONI: The Premier is clearly debating.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, you can sit down. I've got your point of order. Premier, have you finished? You have run out of time anyway. The Leader of the Opposition.