SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Well another day, another piece of evidence that shows Tony Abbotts promise to build submarines here in Adelaide is completely worthless. What we saw today in Canberra was evidence from the Australian Submarine Corporation which made it clear they havent been told anything by the Government as to what the process is for building the submarines. So despite Tony Abbott not only promising before the last election to build submarines here in Adelaide, despite promising for votes in the Liberal leadership ballot that submarines would be built in Adelaide, we have a chaotic process, a completely chaotic process, where no-one is telling the Australian Submarine Corporation what is required and what will need to be done. So what we have today is yet more evidence that Tony Abbotts promise to build submarines here in Adelaide is worthless, and we have yet more evidence of a completely chaotic process from this Government when it comes to the submarines.
JOURNALIST: Are you surprised that the ASC itself hasnt even asked the Minister, hes been there a couple of times in the past couple of weeks?
WONG: Well look the ASC today said they havent been told by the Defence Minister, the Finance Minister, or the DMO, the organisation which is supposed to handle these procurement matters, anything about what this process is. I mean, what it shows is this process is completely chaotic, and that Tony Abbott promised something to a couple of Liberals here in Adelaide, promised that there would be a build here in Adelaide, when in fact nothing in reality is being done on the ground to ensure that happens.
JOURNALIST: Senator Edwards seemed to suggest that it showed a lack of a bit of entrepreneurial spirit from ASC?
WONG: Look we are talking about the largest procurement project this nation has seen. Is Senator Edwards really saying the problem is people arent out there putting forward bids against criteria they dont know about? I mean the reality is ASC has to bid against capabilities that the Government outlines. The ASC said themselves today that they havent been told what the Governments capability requirements are. This is an utterly chaotic process from a Government that is walking away yet again from jobs in South Australia.
JOURNALIST: Weve seen a lot of discussion about the need for speed in terms of this process. The Treasurer has made the point that there isnt time for an open tender on submarines.
WONG: We have also seen Ministers saying We are not going to be rushed, we are going to make the right decision. This government has been in place for some time and all we have seen so far is chaos, worthless promises and walking away from South Australian jobs. That is all we have seen when it comes to submarines from Tony Abbott and his colleagues.
JOURNALIST: What do you think the process should be from here, given they have said it is not going to be an open tender? Should ASC be provided with information by the Government, does there need to be an open publication of what Australias requirements are?
WONG: Well how about the Government stops playing word games? How about we put an end to the chaos? How about Ministers are clear with the public and with the industry what the requirements are and what the process is going forward? What have we had instead? Weve had broken promises, press conferences which are incoherent, and now we find that votes were bought by the Prime Minister, traded away for this project, and yet there is nothing even on the table for ASC. I mean this is just Government chaos. Thank you.
