Key Senate crossbenchers Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff tell PM Scott Morrison to keep subs work in SA

Federal ministers from WA have been warned against stealing submarine work from South Australia by two key Senate crossbenchers.

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West Australian-based Cabinet ministers are being warned not to try to steal submarine work from South Australia by two key crossbenchers.

Centre Alliance senators Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff have written to Prime Minster Scott Morrison asking for an “unequivocal public undertaking” that no consideration will be given to taking submarine maintenance work from Adelaide to Henderson in WA.

The letter was prompted by Mr Morrison’s new-look Cabinet, which includes two West Australians in key defence portfolios.

Linda Reynolds has replaced Christopher Pyne as Defence Minister, while despite speculation SA Senator David Fawcett could secure the role of Defence Industry Minister, it went to Melissa Price.

Centre Alliance senators Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff.

Senator Patrick said Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi, who could not be contacted last night, was expected to support Centre Alliance’s push.

“I spoke to Senator Bernardi last week and he shared our concerns,” Senator Patrick said.

In the letter to Mr Morrison, the senators said they had been concerned about the Defence Department’s interest in shifting Collins submarine full-cycle docking operations from Osborne to Henderson for some time.

The letter said shifting this activity to WA “makes little sense”.

“Adelaide is already the national repository of submarine build and sustainment expertise and capability,” the letter says. “Submarine FCDs employ about 700 South Australians and brings more than $350 million of economic activity to the State annually.

“We ask that your Government give an unequivocal public undertaking that no consideration will be given to moving operations to West Australia.”

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Senator Reynolds said the Government would make decisions about the location of the Collins class and Future Submarines sustainment, including full-cycle docking, in due course.

“South Australia is playing an integral role in the Government’s $90 billion National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise,” she said.

“Sustainment of the Collins class submarine fleet is currently facilitated through ASC North at Osborne in South Australia and ASC West at Henderson in Western Australia. There are currently no plans to relocate this work.”

The push comes as the Coalition courts Centre Alliance to back its $158 billion income tax cuts plan.

Senator Griff said a plan to bring down power and gas prices would be “mandatory” to secure their key votes in the Senate for the third stage of the tax cuts.

He said they were not yet calling for the Bill to be split, which would allow the immediate offset of up to $1080 to be passed, saying they were considering the later stages of the plan to raise tax thresholds in 2022 and 2024.