Add Category
On the eve of the highly anticipated AUKUS unveiling, Anthony Albanese has declared a "new dawn" for Australia's defence policy, with predictions the nuclear-submarine project will support about 20,000 jobs over the next 30 years.
Key points:
- The jobs will be created across industry, defence and the public service
- At the program's peak, it is estimated the deal will support 8,500 direct jobs
- Experts say Australians need to be urgently trained and upskilled to fill the positions
The prime minister is in San Diego where he will announce the details of the deal with the US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tomorrow.
During a morning walk past the city's iconic USS Midway museum with Australia's navy chief, Mr Albanese remained tight-lipped about what would be announced, but talked up the massive project.
"It's a new dawn in San Diego and a new dawn tomorrow for Australia's defence policy tomorrow," Mr Albanese said.
While it is unclear how many of the submarines will be made domestically, the government insists the deal will boost jobs across Australian industry, the defence force and public service.
South Australia's premier has confirmed all the submarines that are built in Australia will be built in Adelaide.
It is estimated that at the peak, the AUKUS deal will support up to 8,500 direct jobs to build and sustain the submarines.
Tens of thousands of other jobs will be created across industry, defence and the public service.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government would have more to say about how it planned to attract the necessary workforce after the announcement on Tuesday.
"But we feel confident that we can attract the people both to serve on the submarines and to build them and this will be one of the great national projects of our history," he said.
Mr Marles would not say how much the project would cost over the next thirty years, instead indicating more details would be revealed tomorrow.
Over the weekend, the ABC revealed the defence department believed Port Kembla in New South Wales was the best location for a future nuclear-powered submarine base.
Director of the Australian Sovereign Capability Alliance, Martin Hamilton-Smith, said it meant Australia had to urgently train and upskill domestic workers.
"Building these things is more complicated than building space shuttles," he said.
"But we need defence, the university sector, the public service and industry generally to stand up out and lead.
"It is one of the greatest opportunities that we've been presented with in recent decades.
"We need to pick up the ball and run with it."
Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia, Jane MacMaster, said given the current shortage of engineers, the government needed to create a targeted workforce plan to make sure there were enough skilled workers.
"We'll probably need to bring in specialists as skilled migrants or as advisers over the short to medium term," she said.
"I think we'll also probably need to train additional engineers up, either through undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.
"The other thing we'll need to do is to start looking at micro-credentials, so looking at how we can upskill existing mechanical, electrical and electronics engineers, to give them a bit of nuclear engineering and the nuclear physics skill set that they would need to work with these systems."
Critics warn of 'profound' impact of submarines
Ahead of the AUKUS announcement, opponents such as Dave Sweeney from the Australian Conservation Foundation are warning of numerous negative consequences from the AUKUS project.
"We believe there are profound environmental, economic and public health costs, as well as significant escalation in regional tension," he said.
"We believe that it's a step that enmeshes Australia into American war-fighting plans, reduces Australian sovereignty."
Labor MP Luke Gosling, the head of the newly created Parliamentary Friends of AUKUS group, has defended the soon-to-be-finalised deal, saying it is essential for Australia's security.
"We need to be working with trusted partners, historically trusted partners that will enable us to have better levels of protection, and that's what AUKUS will provide for our nation," he said.