Senior defence official reveals plans to support Attack-class submarine workers for six years
The Defence department has promised workers left high and dry by the dumped Attack-class submarines they’ll be supported for six years – not three months.
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Some workers affected by the dumping of Naval Group will be supported for six years while they wait for work on the future nuclear-powered fleet, Defence says.
But it is unclear how many or what they will be doing, and there are fears hundreds may leave the sector during that time.
Tony Dalton, deputy secretary of National Naval Shipbuilding, told a senate estimates hearing on Wednesday the Defence department plans to secure extra funding that would be used to employ hundreds of Attack-class workers on various projects until 2027.
“We have forecast an initial funding envelope that would cover six years,” Mr Dalton said in response to questions by SA Senator and Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong.
Defence Dept's Tony Dalton revealed earlier in estimates there are plans to support AUKUS-affected workers for 6 years, until construction starts on the nuclear-powered subs in #Adelaide. Y'day ASC said it only has enough money to support workers for 3 months @theTiser#auspolpic.twitter.com/yJ9Bknem24
— Gabriel Polychronis (@G_Polychronis) October 27, 2021
Just a day earlier in a separate estimates hearing, it was revealed federal-government owned shipbuilders ASC had only enough money to employ affected workers for three months.
Senator Wong questioned why hundreds of highly skilled employees would stay in the defence sector without major submarine construction work for six years.
Mr Dalton said they would be involved in “meaningful work”, such as supporting the Collins-class life-of-type extension beginning at Osborne in 2026.
He also said many of them would be posted to overseas shipyards to gain experience on building nuclear-powered submarines.
“The cohort we are talking about doesn’t have a lot of blue-collar workers in it, because the Attack-class submarine project was not in construction phase,” Mr Dalton said.
Just a day after the $90bn Attack-class contract was torn up, ASC established the Sovereign Shipbuilding Talent Pool.
About 286 employees from Naval Group and Lockheed Martin Australia have applied to join the pool so far. Eleven of those workers have accepted contracts with ASC, out of a total of 13 offers made to date.
There were at least 546 Naval Group and Lockheed Martin employees working on the Attack-class project at the time it was scrapped.
On Tuesday morning, it was revealed more than 1100 South Australian jobs – including 600 shipyard construction roles at Osborne – were in doubt as a result of last month’s AUKUS announcement.
gabriel.polychronis@news.com.au
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