480 shipbuilding jobs lost from ASC during ‘Valley of Death’ but company still seeking more work
THE “Valley of Death” has claimed more than 480 jobs from Osborne-based ASC over the past two years but the company is on the hunt for more work, including in submarine-building.
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- February: Destroyers taken off “Projects of Concern” list
- December: 200 shipbuilders thrown a lifeline
THE “Valley of Death” has claimed more than 480 jobs from Osborne-based ASC over the past two years but the company is on the hunt for more work, including in submarine-building.
The workforce of ASC’s shipbuilding business had fallen to 1,263 staff and contractors, a Senate committee heard on Tuesday. ASC Shipbuilding had 1,747 workers in May 2016 and numbers have been dropping as work on the Air Warfare Destroyer program winds down.
The ASC is yet to reveal how many staff will kept on to help build two Offshore Patrol Vessels but the company has its eye on other projects — including the construction of the Future Submarines, the Future Frigates and a navy survey ship.
Chief executive Stuart Whiley said discussion were at an “early stage” with Defence and France’s Naval Group, which won the international contract to design 12 navy submarines.
“We’ve got a range of skills and capabilities we can offer — It depends on the industrial model they’re proposing,’’ Mr Whiley said,
“As Australia’s only sovereign submarine capability we understand the submarine environment that Australia has now better than anybody and we think there’s some good skills and capabilities we can offer to help the program.”
Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who is responsible for the government-owned ASC, predicted the company had a bright future ahead of it.
“As result of decision made by our government to invest substantially in shipbuilding procurements, the future of Australian workers involved in shipbuilding, including at ASC, is bright,’’ Senator Cormann said. The Government last year moved to throw lifelines to up to 2000 Adelaide shipbuilders facing redundancy, by offering them work with ASC submarines or scholarships to upgrade their skills.
Estimates heard four of the navy’s six submarines were operational and the other two were undergoing maintenance.
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French lock in Aussie jobs target
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