South Australia makes play to enter US nuclear submarine supply chain ahead of AUKUS build
South Australian businesses could enter the supply chain for America's nuclear powered submarines as part of a new deal signed by the state government. The partnership was announced by Premier Peter Malinuaskas in Virginia during a tour of America's largest shipbuilder. It's part of a push to prepare SA's workforce to build the AUKUS submarine fleet at Osborne.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 The Premier in Virginia.
00:03 "I'm going to let you take the helmet over here."
00:06 Welding new ties between South Australia and the US.
00:09 "Every opportunity we can get from an experienced shipbuilder like HII is something we simply
00:14 must grab."
00:15 The shipbuilder has agreed to help South Australian companies enter the nuclear-powered submarine
00:20 supply chain before the first AUKUS vessels built at Osborne are delivered in the early
00:25 2040s.
00:26 "While it will take time before parts start getting produced that appear on the SS and
00:33 AUKUS submarine, there isn't a more immediate opportunity to participate in the Virginia
00:38 class program."
00:39 "We really look at AUKUS as an opportunity to enhance the industrial capability of all
00:44 three partner nations."
00:45 Defence experts say the deal gives local welders, machining and fabrication companies a pipeline
00:51 of work sooner to avoid a potential valley of death.
00:54 "We need the skills to start to be developed now because these are really high tech skills
01:00 that currently don't exist in Australia at all."
01:03 But with an estimated 4,000 workers needed to design, then build submarine infrastructure
01:09 at Osborne, the Premier says it's a race against the clock to train people in time.
01:14 "You've got to walk before you can run, but I think it's fair to say that when it comes
01:19 to the South Australian industry, they're walking pretty fast."
01:21 "Frankly, Australia industry is quite strong.
01:25 It is very capable.
01:27 It is not a capability issue as much as it is a scaling issue."
01:31 Mr Malinowskis will spend the rest of his US trip meeting with congressional and industrial
01:36 leaders in Washington before touring America's other nuclear submarine construction yard
01:41 in Connecticut.
01:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]