Tony Shepherd, the Chief of Tony Abbotts National Commission of Audit, has made an impassioned plea for our Future Submarines to be built in Australia, for sound strategic and economic reasons.
Our next generation submarines should be built in Adelaide
Tony Shepherd, 15 June 2015
Mr Shepherd has also said that Australia should build, maintain and modify warships here in Australia.
But the Prime Minister has resolutely refused to seek, listen to or heed the overwhelming advice of experts when it comes to our Future Submarines and the Australian shipbuilding industry.
Instead, Tony Abbott created a sham Competitive Evaluation Process to save his own job and justify his Captains Pick to build our Future Submarines in Japan.
Thanks to the testimony of Australian Defence officials during Senate Estimates earlier this month, we have now learned the truth about Abbotts farcical process.
And the facts are damning.
The Government failed to seek formal written advice from the Defence Department before Tony Abbott announced his process.
The process was never designed to deliver three competitive contract options. And Japans involvement is based on politics rather than merit.
Tony Shepherd knows Mr Abbotts process is a sham.
Thats why Mr Shepherd has joined with Labor and other experts in calling on the Abbott Government to utilise the proven Defence procurement process that led to the successful ANZAC Frigate and Collins Class Submarine acquisitions.
After the selection of a short-list of experienced offshore designers, funded project definition studies led to the submission of fixed price tenders for a local build which maximised the involvement of Australian industry. The Abbott government should follow this well-proven, risk-reduction path.
Tony Shepherd, 15 June 2015
Australias Future Submarine Project is the largest defence acquisition in Australias history and vital to our nations strategic interests.
Yet the Abbott Governments mismanagement and denigration of the Australian shipbuilding industry has resulted in nothing more than uncertainty and job losses.
Under Tony Abbotts watch 120 jobs have been lost at ASC to date.
This is on top of the 450 jobs lost at Forgacs in Newcastle and hundreds of jobs at BAE in Williamstown.
Thousands more are at risk.
Labor is committed to building, maintaining and sustaining Australias future submarines in Australia.
Only Labor has a credible plan to build the submarines Australia needs to protect our national strategic interests.
Tony Abbott should heed the advice of Tony Shepherd, live up to the Coalitions election promise and build Australias Future Submarines here, in Australia.