The Federal and State Governments have announced a dedicated Defence Precinct at Henderson Shipyard to enhance Western Australia’s shipbuilding and maintenance capabilities.
One of this year’s largest defence developments saw government officials come together to announce a consolidated, Commonwealth-owned defence precinct at Western Australia’s Henderson shipyard.
“The spot on which we are standing right now will be part of the future Henderson Defence Precinct,” said deputy prime minister, the Hon Richard Marles MP.
“The Government’s commitments represent the most consequential defence investment in Western Australia in nearly four decades.”
The precinct builds upon a previously announced strategic partnership between Defence and Austal Limited at Henderson. It is a next step in delivering continuous naval shipbuilding in Western Australia.
“The investment of tens of billions of dollars will turn Western Australia into a defence powerhouse,” said WA minister for Defence Industry, Paul Papalia.
Within the planned Henderson Defence Precinct is an array of facilities and capabilities, including:
- A naval shipbuilding and sustainment facility.
- A sustainment facility for Collins Class submarines.
- Contingency maintenance docking capabilities.
- A waterfront production facility.
- Depot level maintenance docking capabilities.
Future defence capabilities
Marles said of these capabilities, a priority for the precinct is to support the build of both landing craft for the Australian Army and general-purpose frigates for the Navy.
“It is on this spot that we will be building our future general-purpose frigate. It’s on this spot that we will be building our future LOSVs,” he said.
As a state being dominated by minerals, resources and agriculture, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh, said this development will be especially prosperous for manufacturers.
“This is about high-end construction work. This is about manufacturing. This is about creating that complexity in our economy, diversifying the economy for generations to come,” he said.
“People say, ‘I just don’t want to do FIFO anymore’. Well, you can drive in and out to work at Henderson, you can sleep in your bed every night and you get to do high paid, high end, advanced manufacturing work.”
Aside from shipbuilding efforts, the precinct is also set to contribute to the sustainment of Australia’s future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Marles described the precinct’s importance to the AUKUS agreement and a sovereign fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as “critical.”
“Today we are also announcing that the sustainment and the maintenance of our future nuclear-powered submarines will happen right here in Western Australia,” he said.
These maintenance efforts will also extend to Australia’s surface fleet that includes the largest ship in the Australian Navy, HMAS Stirling.
“There’ll be a necessity to establish dry docks here in order to be able to maintain both our future submarines and our future surface fleet,” he said.
Western Australian premier Roger Cook said these capabilities will help in the creation of approximately 10,000 total jobs in manufacturing, construction and maintenance.
“That includes around 3,500 jobs across the water at HMAS Stirling, around 1,000 construction jobs here at Henderson, plus 3,000 jobs for depot-level maintenance at Henderson, around 1,200 for surface fleet jobs and around 1,100 jobs working on landing craft,” he said.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy, said the investment in the precinct will ensure that locals are a centre piece to ensuring a ‘Future Made in Australia’.
“Successful consolidation of the Henderson precinct will secure decades of continuous shipbuilding in Western Australia, providing generational benefits for locals who play a vital role in keeping Australia safe,” he said.
Marles echoed this sentiment, confirming the nation’s defence and a ‘Future Made in Australia’ are top priorities of the precinct.
“The Government is committed to investing in the growth of a productive and resilient defence industry and workforce to keep our nation safe and deliver a future made in Australia – which is exactly what the Defence Precinct will deliver,” said Marles.
After speaking to the precincts capabilities, Marles took a moment to express his gratitude to various defence industry players for their contributions.
“I also want to thank Civmec and Austal who, through their MoU, opened the door for the ability for us to announce that the consolidation of the Henderson precinct would happen here at the southern end of the strip,” he said.
Delivering defence capabilities
After the announcement, the Federal and State governments signed a Cooperation Agreement to ensure the proper delivery of the ambitious Henderson Defence Precinct.
“It is a win-win for Western Australia and the nation,” said Cook.
The agreement sets out a foundation for the parties involved to deliver the precinct upon multiple levels. This includes the development of a joint forum to deliver the required workforce, the establishment of necessary infrastructure, and the active engagement across Federal, State and Local governments and communities.
As a part of these joint commitments, the Federal Government has already gotten the ball rolling and will make an initial investment of $127 million over three years to plan, consult and design the new precinct.
