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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-01 Daily Xml
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DEFENCE INDUSTRY

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Defence Industries. Can the minister inform the house about recent developments in defence industries in South Australia?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:45): I thank the member for Light for his question and his abiding interest in defence industries. The defence industries have a high concentration, if not in his electorate then very close to it. South Australia is home to significant naval shipbuilding capabilities, particularly driven by the multi-billion dollar Collins class submarine sustainment contract and the $8 billion air warfare destroyer construction contract.

The South Australian government is serious about defence and has been for a number of years. We see South Australia making a significant contribution to the national defence effort over the long term and so defence has become a key pillar of our state's economic development and will continue to remain so. We are unequivocally committed to sustainable defence industry growth and to attracting additional defence units to South Australia.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I presume John Olsen might also have been responsible for the location of the 7RAR in South Australia as well, according to the member for Davenport. We, in South Australia, have a solid reputation for delivering world-class defence projects and the state has invested significantly to provide long-term state-of-the-art infrastructure and an adequate, sustainable supply of appropriately skilled workers, who are so critical to industry's success.

The development of Techport Australia as the nation's premier shipbuilding hub, with a critical mass of naval shipbuilding, systems and sustainment expertise, is testament to our commitment. The common use facilities include one of the world's most modern shiplifts and a working area to support the construction and consolidation of the new air warfare destroyer and other commercial and military maritime projects. The precinct also boasts a high tech commercial campus and supplier precinct.

I recently attended Pacific 2012 in Sydney to reinforce South Australia's commitment to naval shipbuilding, systems and sustainment. Pacific is the major international maritime exposition in the Asia Pacific region, held biennially in Sydney. It featured a large trade exhibition supported by a number of specialist defence and technology conferences.

During Pacific, the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, reinforced the Australian government's commitment to acquiring 12 new submarines to be consolidated in South Australia over the next 30 years. The Future Submarine Project will be the largest and most complex defence project ever undertaken by Australia, providing significant job opportunities for South Australians for decades to come.

Over recent weeks, I have personally met with senior leaders in Defence to reinforce South Australia's focus on securing early opportunities arising out of the Future Submarine Project, including promoting South Australia as the logical home for project design and complementary facilities, such as the proposed submarine propulsion land-based facility.

Under Defence's current plans, the commonwealth will spend up to $250 billion over the next 20 years on acquiring and sustaining new ships and submarines, an enormous opportunity by any measure. South Australia is committed to supporting Defence with this ambitious target. We are primed to capture a significant share of this work with our highly skilled workforce, state-of-the-art infrastructure and experienced maritime industry.

Defence is a critical industry for South Australia, forming the foundation of our advance manufacturing future. Beyond naval shipbuilding, we are also focused on systems engineering and integration, military vehicles and aerospace components manufacturing. We are committed to providing the right infrastructure and the right people. This is a commitment that defence companies can count on, with confidence in a government that supports them and, importantly, supports their investment.

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