Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to acknowledge, along with the member for Spence, the member for Sturt and member for Adelaide, the great work that this government is doing to support AUKUS, which, of course, started under the coalition. I also acknowledge the initial $3.9 billion investment in the submarine construction yard at Osborne in South Australia, my home state, to deliver the infrastructure needed to build at least eight nuclear powered SSN AUKUS submarines here in Australia, which is a fantastic initiative. The South Australian Osborne Submarine Construction Yard will begin construction in 2030, and this will be the home of Australia's domestic submarine-building capabilities. The funding of $3.9 billion is the first stage towards $30 billion worth of work to get the yard up and running. And this is a good thing, because sovereign capability in Australia is extremely important, whether it's submarines, steelworks or making fertiliser. Right now, in the current fuel and fertiliser crisis, we're seeing what happens when we don't make stuff here. We must support AUKUS for the good of Australia and the safety of Australians and the broader Asia-Pacific region. AUKUS has wide-reaching impacts across Australia, not just in South Australia.

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