The key to making the most of the $89 billion shipbuilding program is building a skilled workforce, Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne says

SOUTH Australia will be the beating heart of the nation’s naval shipbuilding industry, creating jobs and spurring growth in our state’s economy for our generations to come.

The Hobart Air Warfare Destoyer, which was built at Osborne. Supplied - Australian Defence Force.

SOUTH Australia will be the beating heart of the nation’s naval shipbuilding industry, creating jobs and spurring growth in our state’s economy for our generations to come.

It’s hard to grasp the sheer scale and size of this great national endeavour we are all embarking on. It’s bigger than the Olympic Dam mine for the South Australian economy. It’s bigger than the snowy hydro. The factory for the submarines alone will be bigger than the Adelaide Oval. Can you imagine it? It’s remarkable.

It’s hard to fathom that our children and even their children will be working on these projects which have been commissioned by this Government. It is truly a landmark investment in our state and one for the history books. As a direct result of the Turnbull Government having a continuous pipeline of naval shipbuilding work, a job in this industry means a job for life, not just a job for a project.

Unfortunately there are some politicians in our state who have a narrow vision and low horizons when it comes to this issue.

I’d encourage everyone not to believe the lies currently being spread. Despite careless talk to the contrary by some, the biggest challenge facing the state is actually growing our skilled workforce fast enough to keep up with the coming demand.

The naval shipbuilding workforce is expected to grow to around 5200 workers in construction work in South Australia by the mid to late 2020s, with more than double this number of workers in sustainment activities and supply chains across Australia.

Let me be clear. Every ASC worker who wants a job will get one because they are skilled and experienced shipbuilders and we will be need not just them, but thousands more like them to deliver the $89 billion naval shipbuilding program set out by the Turnbull Government.

Given the need for more skilled workers the Turnbull Government has acted swiftly to ensure we have a pool of available talent so that when selected shipbuilders are ready to start hiring, we have enough workers ready to go.

To do this we announced the establishment of the Naval Shipbuilding College on the 24 March 2017 with an initial investment of more than $25 million. It will be headquartered in Adelaide, but involving existing education and training providers across Australia.

This will train people from all different skill sets, giving them the training they need to be part of this industry.

We are particularly focussing on former car workers who are keen to find new opportunities in naval shipbuilding.

To help with this transition the Government has already established the National Facilitator for the automotive Skills and Training Initiative; and the Naval Shipbuilding College will work to maximise opportunities for transition to, or retraining for, potential future employment in the naval shipbuilding and sustainment sector.

The Naval Shipbuilding College will be implemented in phases designed to match the workforce demand of industry; first focussed on key entry level trades and then professional qualifications.

We will work closely with Defence industry, the Australian education and training sector, and the chosen shipbuilders to implement the Naval Shipbuilding College. A national endeavour of this magnitude requires a national approach to education and training.

After hard work and a determination by the Turnbull Government to grow jobs in South Australia we are approaching the end of the so called ‘valley of death’ for naval shipbuilding and entering into a boom time when we will be hiring many thousands more workers than we currently have in both construction and supply chain. This will spur our state’s growth and give a future for the workers at Osborne and a job for life for thousands more into the future.

Christopher Pyne is the Federal Member for Sturt and Minister for Defence Industry