Defence industry representative the Defence Teaming Centre (DTC) has renewed its call on the Federal Government to release its plan for naval shipbuilding following reports more jobs will be lost in government-owned shipbuilder, ASC.
National spokesperson for the DTC's Australian Made Defence campaign Chris Burns said the time for shifting blame had passed and the Federal Government needed to act now to prevent further capability losses.
“As projects tail off, our industry loses valuable skills. It’s time we stop looking at defence acquisition as one-off projects and commit to an ongoing national shipbuilding plan," he said.
In October ASC announced a further 45 permanent tradespeople including boilermakers and welders would be let go by the end of the year from the Air Warfare Destroyer project as the roles "were no longer needed as part of the current build activity".
According to Burns, the defence industry is a key employer in South Australia and has a strong workforce in Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, all of which are already under risk if industry does not have certainty into the future.
He said industry is in limbo as it awaits the outcomes of the Competitive Evaluation Processes for submarines, Future Frigates and Offshore Patrol Vessels.
“If innovation is indeed the cornerstone for this Government’s policies, it needs to commit to retaining and growing the existing highly skilled workforce to deliver those outcomes."
Burns said industry will invest in innovation strategies upfront if the Federal Government commits to building and maintaining Australia’s ships and submarines locally as part of a continuous national plan.
“The defence industry will play a crucial role to promote innovation, agility and global competitiveness contributing to the growth of the Australian economy.
“The Federal Government has not yet made any commitment to the defence industry as part of their innovation agenda central to reinvigorating our economy.
Burns said a national plan of all Australian government fleets will not only directly benefit the shipbuilding and defence industries, but also the supply chain businesses required to deliver and sustain those projects.
“Thousands of Australians are affected by any delay to deliver a long-term plan for the defence industry – a continuous build national shipbuilding plan makes sense and it will benefit our economy.”