PM dodges China question, spruiks ‘jobs for subs’

The Prime Minister has dodged a question about the purpose of a pact with two of our greatest allies to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Anthony Albanese has dodged a question about the purpose of AUKUS while spruiking a new “jobs for subs” initiative in Western Australia.

Speaking to reporters from HMAS Stirling, an island naval base just off Perth, the Prime Minister was asked on Monday if the trilateral defence pact was designed to fight a third world war, possibly against China, or prevent one.

“AUKUS is designed to serve Australia’s national interest, working with the United States and the United Kingdom, which is, of course, our traditional allies,” he said.

“This is about our own national interest.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was at Perth’s HMAS Stirling base where USS Hawaii submarine is being worked on. Picture: NewsWire / Philip Gostelow

Mr Albanese turned his attention to USS Hawaii, an American Virginia-class submarine docked at HMAS Stirling, where it is being worked on by both Australian and US defence personnel as part of AUKUS maintenance training.

Australia stands to get three to five of the Virginia-class submarines.

He said USS Hawaii was “more capable in terms of length, of staying under speed, stealth, all of those arrangements mean that it’s a more effective piece of hardware that is important for an island continent like Australia”.

“There’s nothing more important than having a navy which is strong,” he said

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at HMAS Stirling in Perth. Picture: @albomp / Instagram

Earlier, the federal government unveiled its Nuclear-Powered Submarine Graduate, Apprenticeship and Traineeship Initiative.

The program aims to help shipbuilder ASC Pty Ltd recruit 200 entry-level workers over the next two years to build up the workforce needed to maintain the AUKUS fleet.

The jobs will be mostly based in Western Australia, where up to five nuclear-powered submarines are to be docked at HMAS Stirling.

The roles will be wide ranging, offering opportunities in fabrication, machining, engineering, project management, supply chain and operations qualifications.

It comes after a US AUKUS architect commented on Canberra’s commitment to laying the necessary foundation to receive the submarines.

Scepticism looms large over the viability of AUKUS, with the pact facing a torrent of pointed questions on its cost, protracted timeline and indemnity clauses that some have said could leave Australia in the lurch.

A US AUKUS architect says ‘all eyes are on Australia’ to make the trilateral defence pact a success.

But Abe Denmark, who recently left his post as a senior US defence adviser on AUKUS, has brushed off concerns about US and UK commitment and instead turned the spotlight on Canberra.

“All eyes are on Australia about how they’re going to invest to build out the Australian submarine industrial base especially and when that money’s going to start coming,” he told the Herald Sun in an interview.

Mr Denmark said he expected Washington to remain committed to the deal regardless of who won the upcoming US presidential election.