‘Nuclear build beyond us without stopgap subs’

Unions have warned there won’t be enough skilled Australian workers to build the nation’s nuclear subs ­unless it orders the construction of up to six diesel-electric boats first.

A US Navy Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine.

Shipbuilding unions have warned the Albanese government there won’t be enough skilled Australian workers to build the nation’s promised nuclear submarines ­unless it orders the construction of up to six diesel-electric boats first.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union assistant national secretary Glenn Thompson told senior government figures this week that the nation’s naval shipbuilding plan had been thrown into disarray by the cancellation of the Attack-class subs, leaving no pathway to develop the skilled workforce needed to build nuclear-propelled boats in the 2030s.

“If you don’t have something to build, then you can’t develop the workforce of the future to build the next thing,” the Australian Shipbuilding Federation of Unions convener told The Australian. He presented a paper prepared by the unions arguing a new Collins build, on top of scheduled life-­extensions for the current Collins fleet, would develop an extra 2140 skilled workers who would later be available to build up to eight ­nuclear-powered boats promised under the AUKUS deal.

“While we wait between two and three decades for a nuclear-powered vessel as part of this new deal, our defence capability is weakened, our national security compromised, and jobs are lost,” the paper reads.

“The Australian government must build between four to six conventional submarines as soon as practicable to prevent a capability gap in the RAN and preserve national shipbuilding skills and ­industry capacity leading into ­future submarine and other major shipbuilding programs.

“This would allow the government to deliver its commitment to build a strong, sustainable, and ­innovative naval shipbuilding ­industry without risking our sovereignty and national security.”

Mr Thompson said the proposed new Collins boats should be based on a soon-to-be upgraded version of the original subs, with construction starting in 2026. The first original Collins boat is scheduled to enter its two-year life-of-type-extension the same year.

The unions’ plan also calls for the development of a new heavy marine engineering workforce centre at Adelaide’s Osborne shipyards to support apprenticeships in key trades, and establish cadetships. The paper includes the ­results of a poll of more than 1500 Australians, in which 68 per cent of respondents said the nation’s next submarines should be built “mainly” in Australia, “even if this will cost us more”.

Mr Thompson said he conveyed the unions’ message ­“respectfully but forcefully” to ­Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and senior staff in Defence Minister Richard Marles’ office. But the pitch comes amid growing signs the government’s submarine task force will opt against a so-called “interim” conventional boat, and industry fears the planned AUKUS boats may be built overseas to save time and money.

Mr Marles has said a “Son of Collins” submarine is in the mix for consideration by Defence’s submarine task force, led by Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead.

But defence industry sources believe an interim submarine is not part of the “optimal pathway” favoured by the government, setting a potential conflict between Labor and the union movement.

The potential workforce crisis raised by the union is similar to the so-called “valley of death” lay-offs sparked by Labor’s failure to commission new naval vessels when it was last in power. Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Marcus Hellyer said Australia’s submarine industry would be “going from a cold start” whether it started on new conventional boats or was thrown into producing nuclear-propelled subs.