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

 

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

 

On Tony Abbott’s 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 Government’s inaction is putting thousands more highly skilled Australian jobs at risk.

 

Today Labor is calling on Mr Abbott to guarantee the future of Australia’s 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's plan that would have maintained industry capacity, created jobs and maximised value for Australia’s Defence acquisitions.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

MONDAY 13 JULY 2015

 

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