First Air Warfare Destroyer launched at ASC, Osborne

PRIDE in a highly skilled South Australian workforce triumphed over political brawling as the nation’s most complex warship, the air warfare destroyer Hobart, was launched at Osborne. SEE THE VIDEO

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PRIDE in a highly skilled South Australian workforce triumphed over political brawling yesterday as the nation’s most complex warship, the air warfare destroyer Hobart, was launched at Osborne.

Dignitaries including Defence Minister Kevin Andrews and Premier Jay Weatherill praised the 1500-strong ASC workforce, hundreds of whom attended the ceremony with their families.

Politicians desperately tried to temporarily shelve rancour over the timing of scathing federal audit results released the day before, which showed a $1.2 billion and two to three-year project blowout.

But Prime Minister Tony Abbott was conspicuously absent from what Navy chief Tim Barrett branded a “momentous occasion” for the nation, as was Finance Minister Matthias Cormann — whose department owns ASC.

In an unusual move, Mr Weatherill questioned the existence of the audit report. It is understood ASC has yet to receive a copy.

Air warfare destroyer workers Matt Sinnett-Jones and Azra Chapple said the audit’s partial release had not overshadowed the celebrations. “I think it’s brilliant what we’ve achieved,” said Mr Sinnett-Jones, the project manager for the third air warfare destroyer, Sydney.

Vice Admiral Barrett said he was very pleased with the result of the Adelaide workforce integrating advanced technology into the ship, some of which the navy had never had before.

Veteran of the first HMAS Hobart Derek Holyoake, who served aboard the ship in World War II, described the launch “as beyond expectations” and “the highlight of my life up to date”.

Breaking from his prepared notes, Mr Andrews opened his speech by acknowledging the 3000 destroyer project workers across the country and their families, then later stressed the Government recognised the significant value of a skilled naval shipbuilding industry.

“We do not want to see this industry disappear,” he said.

Mr Andrews, whose predecessor David Johnston was dumped after declaring he wouldn’t trust ASC to build a canoe, said the Government was considering a continuous build strategy to sustain a shipbuilding industrial base and maintain critical skills.

Mr Weatherill said the Hobart’s launch was the latest chapter in SA’s defence industry history, stretching back to World War II and spanning Osborne, Whyalla and northern and western Adelaide.

“I want to congratulate and thank the thousands of workers, here and interstate, who helped build this ship to the highest international standards,” he said, drawing applause from workers.

“I want our Federal Government to entrust South Australian and, indeed, national workers with the task of building our country’s future submarines right here at Techport (Osborne).”

A competitive evaluation process involving Japan, Germany and France vying for future submarine construction worth more than $20 billion is expected to be decided in December.

Asked if Mr Weatherill’s warning on Friday that the audit’s timing would sabotage the launch ceremony had eventuated, Mr Andrews said Cabinet’s National Security Committee had discussed the findings this week and it was “appropriate to put that out there”.

“If we’re going to have a future shipbuilding industry in Australia and one which is centred largely on Adelaide, then we have to be realistic about the challenges we face,” he said.

“ ... We want to see a naval shipbuilding industry in Australia. The only way which we can achieve that is if we have a continuous shipbuilding industry.

“If governments and industry work together in the future, then we’ve got a good chance of securing that shipbuilding industry.”

Former Governor Kevin Scarce said cost blowouts were understandable given Australia’s lack of a continuous naval shipbuilding program.

“The first one you build you learn from and the fact is we haven’t built a ship for ten years before it,” said Rear Admiral (retd) Scarce, a former head of maritime systems for the Defence Materiel Organisation.

“If we have continuity of work there’s nothing wrong with the Australian workforce. But it’s really a question of the political will to create a vision for the future”.

Former defence minister Robert Hill, who commissioned the AWD project in 2005, said only: “It’s a very proud day for me.”