Defence Shipbuilding

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Defence and Space Industries. Has the Deputy Premier received advice that any part of the Hunter build could be replaced by other work? If so, has the Deputy Premier received assurances that such work would take build place at Osborne? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: In recent days, it has been reported that part of the Hunter build could be replaced by Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia's air warfare destroyer program, for which the Premier advocated in February. It was later revealed that Navantia's proposal was likely to offshore the build to Spanish shipyards.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:19): I thank the shadow minister for his question. Navantia have naturally taken an interest in any opportunity they can. The air warfare destroyer, of which there are three, all built here at Osborne in South Australia, is a highly capable surface ship that the Navy has been, as I understand it, very happy with the performance of ever since those ships left our yards in Osborne. I think questions of this nature invite scrutiny of whether or not governments past made the right decision to stop the air warfare destroyer build, rather than continuing it. I'm not suggesting that we want to go down a partisan approach where we can start to scrutinise what contracts were torn up and when and what decisions were made and how. What I instead invite the parliament to consider—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Like I said, I'm going to do my best to maintain a degree of nonpartisanship on this issue, but what is clear is that the Navantia proposition for air warfare destroyers is one of a very different ilk to what is occurring at the moment in South Australia in respect to the Hunter class. We will wait and see what the outcome of the government's review is, but whatever that is what is critical is their commitment to ongoing service ship construction here in Osborne because it's that recommendation and that commitment—that recommendation, which I should say, has been accepted by the federal government, which amounts to a commitment—that young South Australians and everyone working down at Osborne can rely upon about the continuous nature of their employment in these roles going forward.