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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-10-28 Daily Xml
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Defence Industry

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:11): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. Minister, are you aware of any Liberals in this place or elsewhere standing up for the defence manufacturing industry in South Australia?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for his very important question. Here is another fine example of a good way to ask a question. There can be only one, and there is only one in South Australia standing up for defence manufacturing here—just one.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The only Liberal—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down for one minute. It is totally inappropriate, particularly for the Leader of the Opposition, to behave in such a way. Just behave yourself. We want to hear, and I am very interested in hearing, the answer from the Hon. Mr Maher.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, Mr President. Notwithstanding the lack of leadership that is being shown on the front bench we see the Hon. Andrew McLachlan showing quiet, determined leadership on the back bench, however, when questions are being asked. There is one Liberal standing up for defence manufacturing in South Australia, the Independent Liberal member for Waite, my friend, minister Martin Hamilton-Smith. He, along with our Premier and our state government, has been ferocious—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: We keep having interjections. The opposition members might have a cup of tea and good lie down. I know they don't like it but I'm going to tell them about what has been happening. The member for Waite, minister Martin Hamilton-Smith and the Premier and this state government have been ferocious in holding the federal government to account over their promises.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The members want to know some of the things that the Minister for Defence Industries has been doing. I will tell them some of the things that he has been doing. He has been forcing the federal government to ensure that there is a fairer and more transparent decision on the design and build of our future submarines. He has been forcing the federal government along with state government to do that. He has been advocating on behalf of South Australian defence industries and campaigning for a greater Australian industry content.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: They continue to interject, Mr President. Minister Hamilton-Smith was a Liberal leader who actually had ideas. He did things. He was the only one we ever feared; not like what we've had since and before—he was the only one we ever feared. He put up policies when he was opposition leader; not like the current opposition leader who went on radio I think yesterday and admitted it and let the cat out of the bag: 'It's not our job to have policies and we're not going to have any.' The current opposition leader said that on radio this week.

But I digress. He let the cat out of the bag. He thought he would go up to another election and nobody would notice not having any policies. The Minister for Defence Industries has initiated a defence industry summit in South Australia at Parliament House regarding ship and submarine building. He is representing South Australia at federal parliamentary inquiries into shipbuilding in Australia. He was holding the former minister, minister Johnston, to account with the 'canoegate' scandal. That was such a massive swipe at South Australia. I know that was at the height when the Hon. Rob Lucas was the campaign manager for the failed Fisher campaign. The failed former treasurer is a failed campaign manager for Fisher, who certainly would not have appreciated the 'canoegate' scandal.

The minister has attended many major defence industry events in South Australia and interstate advocating for South Australia's industries. He has ensured the Defence Teaming Centre has received the funding and ability, as promised, to continue to represent its members. He has met with many primary contractors and many small defence companies in South Australia. He has attended Australian Strategic Policy Institute conferences in Canberra where he has met with the chiefs of the Australian Defence Force. He has been working with Defence SA's advisory board and Sir Angus Houston to represent the South Australian defence industry overseas and interstate. He has had South Australia's bid selected to host Land Forces 2016. This is Australia's premier land defence exhibition and leading defence forum for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Minister for Defence Industries, my very good friend Mr Hamilton-Smith, has visited many countries. He has particularly visited all three of the bidders for the future submarines project—France and Germany, and last week the minister visited Japan to meet with the Vice Ministry of Defence and the Ministry for the Economy, Trade and Industry and visited shipyards where they have had experience in building submarines.

Because he has done so much, minister Mr Hamilton-Smith is greatly respected throughout the defence manufacturing industries. He is doing hugely important work with the Premier and with this government. With the Premier and this government he has forced the federal Liberals to walk away from their secret plan to have all the submarines built in Japan without a peep from members opposite, without a peep from the state Liberals here. They did nothing and they did not care.

This is a great start that has been made. Now we just need to make sure the federal government keeps their promise to South Australia and Australia to make sure all 12 submarines—not eight, not part of eight and not the first one being built elsewhere—are built right here in South Australia. I know minister Hamilton-Smith and the Premier are working extremely hard to get this done and to steer the federal government around, like they have before, to get the concessions they have so far.

I know personally the importance of the work of minister Hamilton-Smith. Last month I was acting minister for defence industries. I met with a range of people who were here at the time, including the German Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Krause, as well as other companies, such as Danish ship building companies, and what was clear to me was just what a positive impression minister Hamilton-Smith has made in the defence industry area; what a positive contribution and a great impression he has made already.

It is vital that potential defence manufacturing partners understand our capabilities and requirements, just as we need to understand theirs to make sure we get the best possible results for shipbuilding and jobs in this state. Those opposite might learn much from their former leader, not just about actually having a policy and not just about actually creating policies. They might learn much also from some of their Tory counterparts.

For example, Great Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, made a commitment to Scottish shipbuilding—a nearly ₤900 million pound investment in the next generation of the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigates. Prime Minister David Cameron said that, as well as keeping their country safe, the build was part of a long-term economic plan. I will quote Prime Minister Cameron when he said in relation to the Type 26 frigate program for the Royal Navy:

We're not just building the most advanced warships in the world—we are building the careers of many young people with apprenticeships that will set them up for life.

It would be refreshing if both the state and federal Liberals could see this as well. It's not just about building ships. It's about setting young people up with apprenticeships and skills.

I am not sure if members opposite might have been listening and taking lessons from the media. Just this week, on 5AA, the respected Channel 7 reporter Mike Smithson was talking a great deal of sense about submarine building in SA and he said:

We want 12, we don't want eight submarines and there is a reason for that. Because if you can get a build of 12, for instance welders that start on the first submarine, they work their way through one, two, three…six, seven, eight, and you might think that's fair enough, but the critical mass, speaking to defence industry experts, once you get to 12 that supports itself. Then you get an ongoing maintenance project as well.

That is what we understand, that is what the Minister for Defence Industries understands and, hopefully, with the pressure we have been putting on them, that is what the federal government will come to understand.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Parnell.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable member has the floor.

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