Defence Minister Richard Marles has been speaking about the government pumping nearly $5 billion into the UK industrial base to fast-track the AUKUS military pact.
Australia will inject $4.6 billion into the British industrial base over 10 years under the deal in a bid to avoid the delays that have bedevilled past naval projects
“That amount is to build the nuclear reactors which will form part of the submarines that are constructed here at Osborne [in South Australia],” Marles tode Nine’s Today show this morning.
Deputy Prime Minsiter and Defence Minister Richard Marles.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
He said the Australian government made it clear last year that it would be investing for that reason.
Today, Marles and the UK’s foreign and defence secretaries will announce a joint venture between British defence giant BAE Systems and the Australian government-owned ASC will build the proposed fleet of nuclear-owered submarines.
He said it would create up to 5000 jobs building those submarines.
“When at its peak, there’ll be 7000 people working here at Osborne, and this is a great step for Australian industry.”
The defence minister was asked whether the plans would ever eventuate, and he said the parts for the submarines were already being built.
“Work on them is happening right now,” he said.
“We’ve got people being trained right now, both in how to operate nuclear-powered submarines, but how to build them, work as being done here to get this facility, [at Osborne] … site ready to, for the construction of the yard.”