Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges the Government will make available an initial $12 billion towards the Henderson Defence Precinct to deliver continuous naval shipbuilding and an AUKUS presence in Western Australia, meaning:

(a) record investments across shipbuilding and in AUKUS in the west;

(b) support for approximately 10,000 direct jobs over the next two decades;

(c) opportunities for small and medium sized businesses across the state and Australia; and

(d) certainty for industry that will partner on the construction of infrastructure and facilities; and

(2) notes that the Government continues to increase defence spending to record levels to deliver the capabilities Australia needs through measures like:

(a) the arrival of the first two of 29 Apache attack helicopters;

(b) $1.7 billion for a new fleet of autonomous maritime vehicles including Ghost Shark for the navy;

(c) selection of the Mogami-class frigate as our new general purpose frigates;

(d) boosting Australia's long-range strike capability with the Precision Strike Missiles and $2.12 billion in additional stocks of advanced medium-range missiles to strengthen Australia's air defence and aerial strike capability; and

(e) $1.3 billion investment over the next ten years in counter-drone capabilities and technologies.

I'm pleased to address the development of the Henderson defence precinct in Western Australia and the broader context of the build-up and the strategic repositioning of Australia's Defence capability under the Albanese government. We are living in a moment of profound strategic change. Australia's security environment is more complex, more contested and more demanding than at any time since the Second World War. This is why our government has put capability, people and funding at the centre of our defence agenda. We have ended the underfunding and have ended the chaos—I've spoken these words before—and we have ended the dysfunction of the coalition through providing stability and continuity. We can now focus on what matters: equipping our Defence Force, supporting local industry and delivering for communities.

In Western Australia the government is committing an initial $12 billion towards the Henderson defence precinct to deliver continuous naval shipbuilding in the west—this means supporting approximately 10,000 direct jobs over the next two decades and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises right across the state and, of course, our country. Industry has welcomed this announcement. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia described the funding boost as 'significant' and said it will bolster WA's economy. In August Darian Macey of DECnet said that, under this plan, Henderson 'will become the beating heart of naval capability on the west coast'.

The Henderson defence precinct will play a critical role in our continuous naval shipbuilding enterprise, from constructing the army landing craft and future general-purpose frigates to sustaining surface vessels and providing contingency docking and depot-level maintenance for our future conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines. It entails, as Alex Luck and Naval News noted in September, a significant expansion and investment into the future. The government's focus on Henderson aligns with the view by the Australian Submarine Agency and the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, which identified Henderson as central to Australia's deterrence posture. The strategic review called for state and federal intervention in Henderson to give it the requisite critical mass for shipbuilding, fearing the loss of skilled workers if a pipeline of projects was not maintained. Our government responded by announcing continuous naval shipbuilding in Henderson in October 2024.

Beyond the strategic imperative, there are economic consequences. The precinct will diversify WA's economy beyond mining and resources, linking our skills base to high-tech manufacturing, engineering, logistics and global supply chains. The CCIWA noted that many of the skills developed in WA's mining sector are directly transferable to defence manufacturing. Local businesses, such as Birdon and Civmec, have already welcomed the announcement. Civmec's executive chairman, Jim Fitzgerald, said:

The sheer scale of the proposed infrastructure investment … is potentially a game changer … for our business.

The government's commitments will provide opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses too. This is critical in order to be able to meet demands that are needed for the Defence sector. Encouraging small and medium businesses that may not already be operating in the Defence sector to start to pivot to include that as well is critical.

The truth is this is going to be tripling the size of defence manufacturing in Western Australia. It'll be second only to our mining sector, which underpins our national economy. To achieve that now we need to encourage all students to consider manufacturing and Defence where they may not have previously considered such pathways. The Defence Industry Pathways Program at the South Metropolitan TAFE is an example of the sort of bridging that's required and is part of the Defence industry's skill centre of excellence, which the state and the Commonwealth governments have established with a joint investment of $14.6 million. The government's budget commitments provide that certainty, obviously, for investors but also for families with skilled workers looking to relocate either to Perth or within WA.

I'm lucky in my seat of Hasluck to have many defence and sustainment sectors operating within my electorate but also young people who are keen to work within drone technology, sonar and space. All these things are connected to our broader defence picture but critically to the defence infrastructure needed within Western Australia. So it must sit well within our communities, and to this end Henderson and the broader Rockingham region have thoughtful transitional planning to ensure that not just the shipyards are considered but the amenities, housing and environmental concerns are addressed too. I look forward to the ongoing engagement with all the stakeholders across the Henderson defence precinct and many of those beyond it as well.

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