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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-03-05 Daily Xml
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Australian Submarine Corporation Jobs

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:11): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer a question about submarine jobs in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Serious questions must be asked of South Australia's Liberal and Labor senators who colluded in the federal Senate last month to vote down a motion by SA-Best's federal colleagues, Centre Alliance, backing submarine jobs in South Australia. The South Australian senators either voted against the motion or abstained when their jobs are to represent all South Australians.

Those who abstained from voting from the motion were Liberal senators, including Minister for Family and Social Services, Anne Ruston, Alex Antic, David Fawcett and former upper house President and newly appointed senator Andrew McLachlan, and Labor senators, including Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, the influential Penny Wong, and powerbroker Don Farrell. SA-based Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Labor Senator Marielle Smith voted against the motion.

Like me, I suspect most South Australians would be asking why any South Australian politician would vote against or abstain from supporting a motion calling for submarine maintenance jobs to remain in South Australia. At risk is more than 700 jobs and $400 million of annual economic activity. I note that the Labor state executive has this week passed a motion slamming its own federal members and seeking an explanation from federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Labor's influential leader of the Senate, Penny Wong. My question to the Treasurer is:

1. Do you believe the actions of your federal senators were in the best interests of all South Australians?

2. Do you think the senators have failed in their duties to represent all South Australians on such a vital issue that has such a significant impact on our future economic viability?

3. Do you agree with their decisions to vote against such an important debate?

4. Will the state government follow the decisive action of the ALP state executive and seek an explanation from its Liberal senators?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:14): I thank the member for his question. I have no control, it might surprise the honourable member, over what actions federal senators adopt, whether they be, indeed, Liberal, Labor, Green or of any other variety. What I do know, more importantly, is that from the Premier down the Marshall Liberal government is absolutely committed to protecting the jobs of submarine workers in South Australia. That is something that I have some influence on; that is something I am involved with; that is something that I have direct knowledge of and I'm happy to answer questions in relation to those issues.

As I said, I can assure the Hon. Mr Pangallo that the Premier in particular has left and will leave no stone unturned in protecting submarine jobs in South Australia. I think he, together with myself, will believe that the decisions of the commonwealth government and the various ministers, etc.—

The Hon. J.E. Hanson: Your gutless leader has done nothing; absolutely nothing.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hanson!

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The decisions that will be taken by the people of influence within the federal government, which will be the Prime Minister and various other members of the appropriate cabinet committee and the cabinet itself, will not be influenced by votes or otherwise of the federal Senate, with great respect to the federal Senate and its members. I would never criticise the operations of any upper house around the nation. They are entitled to their views. I don't influence them but I know that the decisions that will be taken will be taken by the Prime Minister and, as I said, the appropriate cabinet ministers and the cabinet committees for the stated reasons that the Prime Minister and others have outlined.

I conclude my response by saying that South Australians will be very confident that in Premier Marshall they have a champion who is defending to his very last breath every single one of those jobs in South Australia but, more importantly, wanting to grow many, many thousands more submarine and defence-related jobs in South Australia. He will not rest until that final decision is taken, and he has been quite clear in terms of what his position is.

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