A delegation of Labor MPs headed by Opposition leader Bill Shorten last week visited Williamstown’s shipyard to call on the federal government to safeguard naval jobs in the west.
During a doorstop outside BAE Systems, Mr Shorten said shipbuilders’ jobs needed to be secured in the wake of 2500 impending job losses when Toyota’s Altona plant stops making cars in Australia in 2017.
He said shipbuilding contracts should be brought forward and kept in Australia.
“If you bring forward the order book for the money that you’re going to spend on warships … then you can save hundreds of jobs,” Mr Shorten said.
Asked why the Coalition should be forced to order locally-made when Labor had not seen fit to in the past, Mr Shorten suggested putting jobs ahead of politics.
“Labor always prefers to buy Australian where you can and, in the case of warships, we certainly say to Tony Abbott that if you decide to build the next two big supply ships and sought the HMAS Sirius and Success [contracts], and you get the work done here in Australian shipyards, Labor will extend the hand of bipartisanship.”
Labor has started a petition “to save Williamstown’s maritime industry”. It states that unless the Abbott government delivers new defence contracts for the shipyard in coming weeks, BAE will close and 1000 jobs will be lost.
Defence Minister Senator David Johnston said the government was committed to supporting the local defence industry.
“The former government’s decisions led to around 100 projects being delayed, around 40 projects being reduced and 11 projects being cancelled. Under Labor, we saw more than $18 billion cut from the defence budget over the next decade.”
He said the government intended that the ADF should use Australian-made equipment wherever possible.
BAE spokesman Simon Latimer declined to comment on Mr Shorten’s visit. “We remain in discussions with the federal government about a range of options to bring forward naval shipbuilding work that would secure the longer-term future of the Williamstown shipyard,” he said.
