Question Time

Defence Naval Shipbuilding

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is to the Acting Premier. Can the Acting Premier update the house on how the government will achieve continuous shipbuilding in South Australia, including how many Hunter class frigates will be built here? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS:The Australian reported on 23 November 2023 that the federal government's surface fleet review is set to cut the Navy's Hunter order from nine ships to six, or perhaps as few as three.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:26): I do feel somewhat Groundhog Day with the number of times that this question has essentially been identically asked—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —but nonetheless I am always happy to talk about frigates and continuous shipbuilding. Now of course, as every person in this chamber understands, the procurers of the ships that are being built at Osborne are the Australian government. They have undertaken a review following up on the DSR. The DSR said that there ought to be, as a recommendation, continuous shipbuilding. The federal government has not only accepted that recommendation but also said that that continuous shipbuilding would occur at Osborne.

Subsequently, though, there has been the review into the kind of ships, the type of ships that are most suitable for the surface ship fleet, given the shift from one form of submarines to another form of submarines—being the nuclear submarines, which, because they have different capabilities subsurface, can imply different capabilities may be required on the surface to back them up.

That review has, of course, been completed and been provided to the federal government. We are awaiting their response. As has been said many times, but I will repeat again, both the Premier and I have urged the federal government to give that response as soon as possible but we are, of course, not in a position to give it for them.

What we have been assured by, though, is the repetition not only of the expectation that there will be continuous shipbuilding at Osborne but also the repudiation of the rumours that went around that were, perhaps embraced is too strong a word, perhaps it isn't, by members of the opposition, who suggested that the entire Hunter class fleet building would be moved over to Glasgow. The federal government has ruled that out. These kinds of rumours, while they can be very exciting—particularly when you are not in government—can do tremendous harm to the confidence of not only South Australians generally—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: You know what would be better? An announcement. An announcement would be great.

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hartley!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —but specifically those companies that are investing in the supply chain in order to supply these ships. It is uncertain because there is a review, but the certainty is given to us by the continuous build that has been promised by the federal government, committed to by the federal government.

What is unhelpful in this context is for the opposition to continuously, and perhaps joyfully, indicate that there are a wild variety of different possibilities for the build, including, as I say, this rumour that went around—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: Reassure us, because it was in the paper.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Yes, as was building in Glasgow.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Florey! Member for Hartley!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: Of course, what is important is less the question of the number of frigates and more the question of if not frigates then what else is being built? As has been long understood, if frigates are not viewed through this—it is not news unless you haven't being paying attention. The question is whether frigates are the right ship to back up the submarines, what the number is and what alternatives might be being considered. We eagerly await the federal government's response.