Hunter Class Frigate Program

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Defence and Space Industries. What actions is the Minister for Defence and Space Industries taking to ensure the full complement of nine Hunter class frigates will be built here in South Australia? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: On 5 February, the Premier travelled to Canberra to advocate to the federal Minister for Defence to continue the Hunter class frigate shipbuilding program in South Australia. The minister did not participate in this delegation.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (15:08): It was a really insightful observation from the shadow minister that the Premier was in Canberra yesterday. Well observed.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier, please be seated. The member for Morphett will leave under 137A for the remainder of question time. We are not going to have that type of behaviour.

The honourable member for Morphett having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: What the shadow minister was referring to was the fact that yesterday we made an important trip to Canberra to advocate on behalf of the state's position. I have to say that I am very, very grateful for the fact that as Premier I have the ability, not having any portfolios exclusively allocated to me, to travel to Canberra and advocate on whatever the most important issue of the day is in the full knowledge that I have a suite of ministers who are utterly dedicated and thoroughly committed to their respective portfolio areas. That is not more true in any portfolio than in the Deputy Premier's responsibilities.

We are working collectively to make sure we advocate this case. The Deputy Premier's work, particularly in the defence industry, does not exclusively pertain to the work of Defence SA; it actually goes more broadly than that to the single biggest challenge that all of these programs have, and that is workforce. We know that the development of the workforce that is required to build the frigates, let alone the submarines, is a real challenge.

The work that has been undertaken in the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science from the minister is extensive. I would like to acknowledge the work of not just the Deputy Premier but Adam Reid and their team, who have done a lot of work getting down to the nitty-gritty of the profile of the workforce and the skills that we need to be actually able to build the equipment. I have to say: it is going to take a whole-of-state effort, which is why I think it is appropriate that those responsibilities sit at the highest levels of government, and particularly with the Deputy Premier.

We have already announced a whole range of different policy measures that we have initiated to tackle that challenge, but this would be an opportune time to highlight probably one of the most tangible ones that is most readily understood by the electorate, because it is now physically able to be seen, and that is the development of the technical colleges. This is a policy that the Deputy Premier was able to institute while we were in opposition and the now Minister for Education has the responsibility of delivering.

We can see firsthand that in the space of less than two years now down at Findon High School is a brand-new technical college full of students doing their work, including a suite of young men and women who are now getting the technical skills at Findon High, starting in year 10, to be able to complete their SACE certificate, walk out of Findon Technical College and walk straight into a job at BAE, one to one. That is because BAE have been central to the development of the course that is being delivered—not just the course but also the infrastructure of the course being delivered at Findon Technical College.

It is a policy effort that had its genesis going right back to the Deputy Premier's stewardship in opposition in crafting that effort. It is making a real difference on the ground now, which isn't just appreciated by BAE, it isn't just appreciated by the commonwealth; it's appreciated by the young people who are excited about taking up that challenge and setting themselves up for a long-term and prosperous future.