Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten today met South Australian ship workers to call on Tony Abbott to give Australias vital shipbuilding industry a fair go.

While Tony Abbott continues his ideological political campaign against the union movement and Australian workers, Australias strategically vital shipbuilding industry is withering on the vine.

On Tony Abbotts watch 120 jobs have already been lost at ASC in Adelaide, 610 jobs at Forgacs in Newcastle, and hundreds more lost at BAE in Williamstown.

The Abbott Governments inaction is putting thousands more highly skilled Australian jobs at risk.

Today Labor is calling on Mr Abbott to guarantee the future of Australias shipyards.

If any Australian shipyards are abandoned, blame will rest at the feet of Tony Abbott and the Liberals.

Before the last election the Liberals promised that 12 new submarines would be built in South Australia.

But everything Mr Abbott has done since has undermined the future of shipbuilding in this country.

Mr Abbott has abandoned his party's commitment to build 12 submarines in South Australia.

He also abandoned Labor'splan that would havemaintained industry capacity, created jobs and maximised value for Australias Defence acquisitions.

South Australia has a proud history of building, maintaining and sustaining the ships and submarines that are vital to Australias national security.

Sadly Tony Abbott seems committed to letting this vital industry wither and die, just as he did with South Australias car industry.

Tony Abbott must give South Australia a fair go and fulfil his Government's pre-election promise to build 12submarines in Adelaide.

All South Australian companies and workers are asking for is a fair go a fair opportunity to compete for Government work.

Instead, Mr Abbott is sending high-skilled jobs overseas without allowing local companies to bid and has invented a sham submarine process to save his own job.

Its time this Abbott Government lived up to its pre-election promise, joined with Labor and committed to building, maintaining and sustaining 12submarines right here in Adelaide.