THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL

STATEMENT
ROCKINGHAM INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

Thursday 19 December 2024

The Albanese Government continues to put AUKUS at risk as it kicks vital infrastructure works in Western Australia (WA) into the long grass.

It has taken Labor nearly three years to commission studies for infrastructure requirements around HMAS Stirling in preparation for Submarine Rotational Force–West (SRF–West) which is now just two years away from commencing.

The studies won’t even be completed until the end of 2025 – just one year before thousands of US personnel arrive in Australia to support SRF–West. We are still in the dark about when physical works will begin.

The Coalition has long been urging both the Albanese Government and the WA Cook Government to move quickly to prepare for SRF–West, but Labor has failed miserably.

Local councils and residents in the Rockingham vicinity have been crying out for much needed upgrades to fix local roads, ease congestion and increase safety before the arrival of thousands of US personnel to WA, but this has fallen on deaf ears despite Labor representing the area at both a state and federal level.

In August, the Shadow Minister for Defence called on WA Premier Roger Cook to appoint a Minister for AUKUS – senior and in Cabinet – to drive AUKUS and address key housing and infrastructure challenges. These calls have been ignored and as a result, we see AUKUS preparation in WA falling behind.

When it comes to AUKUS and SRF–West, the Albanese Government and WA Labor are lethargic and ambivalent, and their approach to these works is no different.

ENDS