THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE INDUSTRY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

STATEMENT
SELECTION OF SUBMARINE BUILD AND SUSTAINMENT PARTNERS

Friday 22 March 2024

The Coalition welcomes the progress and potential announced with the selection of the Sovereign Submarine Build Partner and the Sovereign Submarine Sustainment Partner.

As founders of AUKUS, the Coalition is pleased to see these next steps in concert with the UK and the US.

The Coalition forged the bold path for this historic agreement, and we are committed to seeing it succeed.

There are however some concerns about today’s announcement, and our preparedness for this endeavour:

1. In October last year, Defence revealed there was no provision in the Defence budget for the $5 billion payment to the UK. Labor must be upfront and clarify if the funding announced today has come from further reprioritisation within Defence – and therefore at the cost of existing capabilities.
2. Labor must work at best speed to develop the traineeship pilot programs and encourage young Australians to be a part of AUKUS. So far, the Albanese Government has failed to show strong leadership in properly explaining the significance of AUKUS to our next generation of workers, and has not done enough to encourage students to consider a career in the build, sustainment and crewing of nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS is a nation building enterprise, but the Albanese Government hasn’t been preparing the nation for it.
3. Labor remains ambivalent about the much-needed upgrades at HMAS Stirling, which will be home to Submarine Rotational Force-West, in just three years. While it’s important to select who will maintain the submarines, it is just as vital to uplift the base, much sooner than the Government’s plan for 2025 in which they have already identified workforce issues. Our UK and US partner navies are counting on Australia being nuclear-ready by 2027.

The Coalition is calling on the Albanese Government to be honest with the Australian people and provide further details around costs, workforce and preparedness.

ENDS