Cook on expedition to Britain to discuss AUKUS fleet opportunities

WA Premier Roger Cook will visit Britain just weeks after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to add another 12 nuclear-powered submarines to the nation’s fleet.

HMAS Stirling at Rockingham, along with the USS Minnesota fast-attack submarine.Picture: NewsWire/Sharon Smith

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Western Australia Premier Roger Cook will discuss the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines program with senior members of the British government this week as he looks to shore up his state’s pipeline of defence work.

Mr Cook and WA Defence Industries Minister Paul Papalia flew to England at the weekend ahead of a five-day visit to talk up WA’s ability to contribute to both the AUKUS program and the UK’s Astute-class nuclear submarines.

The visit comes just weeks after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to add another 12 nuclear-powered submarines to its fleet. It also comes hot on the heels of the Pentagon’s announcement that it would review the $368bn AUKUS partnership to ensure it was aligned with Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

The UK delegation follows a similar visit earlier this year by Mr Papalia to defence decision-makers in the US.

Amid ongoing uncertainty around AUKUS, WA Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said it was the “right time” for Mr Cook and Mr Papalia to head to Britain.

“There’s a great relationship between the UK and Western Australia so I think it’s the right time to reinforce a mutually beneficial program between the UK and WA,” she said.

“We’re very, very keen to see as much defence spending in WA, we’ve been concentrating on getting our small businesses and businesses lined up to support more defence spending, so we’re very keen to make sure that the dialogue is open and that we secure as much work as possible.”

West Australian Premier Roger Cook. Picture: Getty Images

US and, later, UK nuclear-powered submarines will be based out of the HMAS Stirling naval base off the coast of Rockingham, south of Perth, from 2027 under one of the first key AUKUS milestones.

Some $8 billion is being spent on upgrades at the base in preparation for the arrival of those boats.

Another $20bn will be spent upgrading and expanding the nearby shipbuilding yards at Henderson, which will be used for the maintenance of the AUKUS submarines and the construction of a host of other vessels for the Australian navy. Those efforts are expected to create around 10,000 jobs and are forecast to entrench defence as the second-biggest industry in WA behind its mining sector.

Asked if she believed the AUKUS program would still go ahead, Ms Saffioti said: “I hope and trust it does, because a lot of work’s been put into it.”

Mr Cook’s itinerary will include meetings with British government officials including Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle and UK Trade Envoy to Australia John Lord Spellar.

Both Ms Eagle and Lord Spellar have themselves recently visited WA for discussions around the progress of AUKUS and the investment and trade relationship between WA and the UK.

Mr Cook and Mr Papalia will also visit His Majesty’s Naval Base in Devonport, which is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Royal Navy.

The Premier will also be looking to get WA businesses involved in the supply chain for the UK’s under-development Astute-class submarines.

Mr Papalia’s visit to the US earlier this year took place just days after The Australian revealed that rogue Cook government MP Kyle McGinn had met with US decision-makers to express security concerns about the proposed AUKUS facilities in WA.

Mr McGinn, who left parliament after the new upper house was sworn in in May, is closely aligned with the Maritime Union of Australia.