Unions back Collins-submarine build

Powerful unions will this week urge top ministers to build six new Collins-class submarines before trying to go nuclear.

HMAS Rankin. Picture: Yuri Ramsey / Australian Defence Force

Powerful unions will this week urge top ministers to build six new Collins-class submarines before trying to go nuclear, saying it is the only way to develop the massive workforce needed to build the planned AUKUS boats.

The Australian Shipbuilding Federation of Unions will meet Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy on Wednesday to warn that the nation needs to close critical skills gaps before it can be ready to build nuclear submarines in Adelaide.

The move follows Mr Marles’ confirmation in Britain last week that the government had “no plans” to build interim conventional submarines before commencing on the path towards nuclear-propelled boats.

ASFU national convener Glenn Thompson said: “As a matter of urgency, the Albanese government should commission six conventionally powered submarines to be built locally.”

Australia’s current submarine manufacturing workforce sits at about 1200, but those workers, at Adelaide-based ASC, are required for Collins-class maintenance and planned “Life-of-type-extension” upgrades of the six conventionally powered boats.

The now-cancelled Attack-class submarine was forecast to require a workforce of 5000, and thousands more people are expected to be needed to build nuclear submarines in Australia.

“From the ASFU’s perspective, the only way to ensure we’ve got the capability to do that is to be able to give certainty to supply chain companies and our defence manufacturing base who work within shipbuilding,” Mr Thompson said.

The ASFU includes the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, which has close ties to Mr Conroy, and the Australian Workers Union, which is closely aligned with Mr Marles’ Right faction.

The union push follows a backlash among former senior naval officers, who say without interim conventional subs, Australia will struggle to expand the nation’s 800-strong workforce of submariners to the 2500 required for larger nuclear boats.

Former submarine commander Peter Briggs said Australia needed more submarines to train the nuclear boats’ future crews. “It is much quicker to train a conventional submariner to be a nuclear submariner than it is to start with an 18-year-old out of ­recruit school,” the retired rear admiral said.