Vince Connelly (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the 2024 structure plan, the Morrison government is investing $270 billion in defence capability over the next decade. Sustainable naval shipbuilding will ensure our Navy is equipped to meet the challenges that lie ahead. To support the anticipated build and sustainment of the new large hull vessels our Navy will require, we need an additional docking facility. Australia currently only has one such facility, the Captain Cook Graving Dock in Sydney, which was built during World War II.

With the Indo-Pacific region heating up, Western Australia's position on the rim of the Indian Ocean gives us a natural strategy advantage for a large vessel dry berth at the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson. This has strategic and economic benefits. It would support a two-ocean basing strategy for Navy. It would be able to support allied vessels as well as commercial vessels. It would provide opportunities for shipbuilders to complete bigger builds locally. And it would generate around $1 billion in construction activity alone, as well as jobs for generations of Western Australians to come over its approximately 100-year lifespan. If we in the west are going to advocate for defence projects that are innovative, strategically important and have long-term economic benefits, then we should focus our energy on securing a large vessel dry berth at Henderson.