Is this good news at last?

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Let's hope that they can be trusted to keep their promises...this time!

 

Prime Minister Tony Abbott to unveil $89 billion, 20-year defence shipbuilding program for SA

 

• PAUL STARICK CHIEF REPORTER - WITH AAP
  
• THE ADVERTISER
  
• AUGUST 04, 2015 3:32PM
  

 

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• More funds for manufacturers to go hi-tech
  

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has confirmed construction of new offshore patrol vessels will start in 2018 and new frigates in 2020 under a $40 billion plan for continuous shipbuilding in Australia.

A restructured surface naval shipbuilding industry could be competitive and provide the best possible ships at the best possible price, he said today in Adelaide.From 2020 onwards there will be build-up to about 2500 workers employed continuously in surface naval shipbuilding and most of them will be in Adelaide.SA Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham said construction of the offshore patrol vessels would be brought forward by two years to 2018, while the frigates would start three years earlier, in 2020, in an attempt to lessen the impact of the so-called ‘Valley of Death’, in which contracts run out before new ones begin, leaving workers without jobs.“Further, we will invest an additional $1.2 billion into the delivery of the three world-class Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) currently under construction,” he said.

 

AN $89 billion program to build navy ships and submarines over 20 years, including a guarantee that future frigates will be built in Adelaide, is being announced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott today.The centrepiece of the Defence White Paper to be released within weeks, the historic spending on naval shipbuilding is aimed at creating a continuous program to replace the nation’s entire navy fleet.

Senior government sources said the frigate construction at Outer Harbor’s ASC, formerly the Australian Submarine Corporation, was expected to create jobs and begin in the early 2020s.It is understood that government analysis shows the $89 billion program will sustain about 1000 jobs which otherwise would have been lost, by ending the boom/bust cycle which has afflicted the industry.Adelaide is also in line for more work building offshore patrol vessels as part of a process to be revealed today.Mr Abbott is in Adelaide for close to three days for a series of jobs announcements designed to improve the state’s 8.2 per cent unemployment rate and boost the Liberals’ flagging political fortunes in South Australia.It is understood the naval shipbuilding program was approved yesterday by Cabinet’s National Security Committee and will go to a Cabinet meeting in Adelaide.The $89 billion naval shipbuilding spend is understood to comprise $39 billion for ships and $50 billion for submarines — the latter program now being contested between Germany, Japan and France ahead of a decision expected by Christmas.South Australian MPs have been urging Mr Abbott to keep a pre-election promise to build the submarines in Adelaide.

The ships, the subs and the jobs.

 

 

Mr Abbott told The Advertiser the continuous shipbuilding program was a long-term plan for a strong and sustainable industry.“This critical investment will generate significant economic growth and preserve South Australian jobs,” he said.

“This strategy will transform Australia’s naval shipbuilding industry and put it on to a sustainable long-term path, giving the workforce certainty into the future.

 

“It’s the first time any Australian government has committed to a permanent naval shipbuilding industry.”Mr Abbott attacked the former Labor government for creating the “valley of death” by failing to commission a single naval warship from an Australian shipyard during its six years in office.Defence Minister Kevin Andrews said the decision meant Australia’s “world-class shipbuilding workforce” would build the future frigates and offshore patrol vessels, along with other surface vessels.

Beneath the first Air Warfare Destroyer, which was built in Adelaide. Picture: Calum Robertson

 

 

“The future frigates will be built in South Australia,” he said.This is likely to trigger a split of ASC into shipbuilding and submarine arms, along with a partial privatisation involving the successful frigate builder.The Government analysis shows 2500 jobs will be sustained for a decade across Australia by the continuous shipbuilding program.But it will not stem the “valley of death” between projects which has resulted in another 100 ASC workers on the air warfare destroyer program losing their jobs, raising fears about the remaining 2500 workers at Osborne.However, speaking on radio this morning, Mr Abbott was optimistic for their future: “We will have up to 2500 ongoing jobs in surface naval shipbuilding so this is a very, very significant announcement,” he told FIVEaa.“While we can’t entirely avoid the valley of death, we can certainly fill some of it in with the announcement we’re making today.”Industry insiders said the awarding of the frigate project to SA would fuel speculation it was a consolation prize for missing out on submarines to Mr Abbott’s preferred Japanese option.Industry figures said German and French companies vying for the submarine deal had spent millions of dollars and hundreds of hours on their bids and would be enraged if this was fruitless.But Mr Abbott told ABC 891 this morning that the submarines would be a “prize” for SA in some form.“The frigates are coming as the first prize, and one way or another, the subs will be coming as a further prize,” he said.“Whatever the competitive evaluation process ultimately comes up with, there will certainly be more submarine jobs in Australia. (But) we’ve got to get the right deal for Australia.”“You shouldn’t assume that the subs won’t happen here. When we get all those figures in, that’s when we’ll make a final decision.”Premier Jay Weatherill met Mr Abbott yesterday to discuss job-creation measures. This morning he applauded the Abbott government’s pledge to build future frigates in Adelaide.

 

“This is a big win for South Australia,” Mr Weatherill told ABC 891.“We’ve been pursuing a continuous shipbuilding program. It’s a fantastic piece of news.”Asked about the state’s push to have future submarines built in Adelaide, Mr Weatherill said: “That’s something that we continue to pursue.”

 

Air Warfare Destroyer Hobart sets sail

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Abbott told a $500-a-head fundraising lunch for Make-A-Wish Australia at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre yesterday that SA had some particular issues — but he had particular faith and confidence in the state’s people.“If we can make another wish for this state it would be to see this state restored to being an economic powerhouse of our country,” he said.Federal Industry and Science Minister Ian Macfarlane yesterday revealed 15 SA companies had won almost $29 million funding in the first round of a $60 million program designed to accelerate private sector investment in non-automotive manufacturing.The 15 businesses will receive grants ranging from about $500,000 to almost $5 million, which are expected to generate about 430 jobs.

[Rammygirl]

Fingers crossed, hope some of the car workers who were laid off get jobs. Retraining should be available for local people before they ship in people from outside. Plenty of people in SA with transferable skills, or who could be easily re skilled to do some of these jobs.

[flossybeth]

Possibly - but these won't be built until 2020, I think and the current project is due to end in 2018 - so let's hope there are still ship builders left in SA when the 2 year gap is over.

 

I hope though that this doesn't precede a statement about the submarines going overseas - the technology and skills involved in building the submarines is still essential to SA as a much longer term stability.

[Diane]

I hope though that this doesn't precede a statement about the submarines going overseas - the technology and skills involved in building the submarines is still essential to SA as a much longer term stability.

 

Of course the subs will be built overseas - Tony's already done a backroom deal with Japan about that. Even if they build them here, they will be allowed to bring in their own workers on 457s to do the work. He's just trying to secure his mate Christopher Pyne's job in the next election - and some people are gullible enough to believe his promises even given his past record on that front.

[Diane]

..and as Nick Xenophon says, why should this promise be any more believable than the 2013 one to build the subs here? http://www.nickxenophon.com.au/media/releases/show/promises-promises-.../

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Possibly - but these won't be built until 2020, I think and the current project is due to end in 2018 - so let's hope there are still ship builders left in SA when the 2 year gap is over.

 

I hope though that this doesn't precede a statement about the submarines going overseas - the technology and skills involved in building the submarines is still essential to SA as a much longer term stability.

 

I think that they are bringing the builds forward to prevent the "valley of death" loss of work between contracts.

But, I also think that Abbott is going to do a dirty with the submarine deal....