In her first press conference as the Australian Defense Minister, Marise Payne said that she wants to boost Australian industry involvement in the construction of new naval ships.
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU), in a media release issued September 20, 2015, has called on the new government to increase efforts on restoring confidence in the national shipbuilding industry.
Facing pressure from the rising national interest in bringing the construction of Australian vessels home, Senator Payne has promised to keep most of the announced naval fleet rebuild local with South Australia having already secured a $39 billion contract to build a new fleet of frigates from 2020, as The Advertiser stated.
Another $50 billion of federal funds are being awarded for the submarine project, with France, Germany and Japan competing for that work. All three countries have proposed on building the submarines both in Australia and overseas .
Senator Payne, however, has declined to give more detailed comments on the future submarine builds.
Naval Today Staff, Image: Australian Department of Defence