Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to raise a matter of great importance to the people of Bonner and Queensland. It is an issue that goes to the heart of the effort the Howard government is making to create jobs, enhance skills, boost the potential for small to medium enterprises and foster sustainable industry development in Australia. In recent months my colleague the honourable member for Bradfield and Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson, has provided a clearer picture of the government’s commitment to spend $51 billion on defence capability over the next 10 years. The policy settings are in place to ensure Australian industry can play its part in delivering that capability.

This is great news for Australian industry and great news for Queensland. This will be a catalyst for thousands of young Australians to join the workforce and take up apprenticeships and training opportunities in trade, engineering and technical areas. I am sure that this is something that will please my colleague the member for Moreton, the Hon. Gary Hardgrave, in his role as Minister for Vocational and Technical Education. It also underpins this government’s ongoing effort to grow the existing skills base in Queensland to develop not only defence capability but also the booming resources sector, which has seen Queensland become a powerhouse state in its contribution to the health of the Australian economy. This is of particular interest to me in that the long-established Cairncross dry dock and the expanding Brisbane Marine Industry Park nearby could well play a major role in the modular construction of two amphibious or landing helicopter dock ships if the bid by ADI Ltd is successful.

I noted with concern, therefore, a reference in the recent submission by the Department of Defence to the Senate inquiry into naval shipbuilding in Australia to the effect that a number of the facilities in Brisbane were old and would not meet the demands of modern major ship construction. The commercial future of Cairncross is a matter for the Forgacs company, but I am sure that wiser heads will appreciate the key role that the already established Cairncross dock and marine industry park could play in the construction of these LHD ships. Even more significantly, these facilities are directly within the city of Brisbane, which has a concentration of relevant skills, infrastructure and industry support already available to the ADI and its partner companies.