Construction of anti-submarine warships begin in South Australia

ABC NEWS (Australia)

After delays, blowouts and cutbacks construction on Australia’s Hunter Class Frigate program is underway in Adelaide. The project will support more than three thousand jobs at its peak and deliver the navy six state-of-the-art submarine hunters.

Transcript

00:00A ceremonial start to the build of six future Navy frigates through the push of a button.

00:10The Defence Minister, the South Australian Premier and Navy top brass marking the long-awaited

00:15beginning of hunter class construction at Osborne in Adelaide's North West.

00:20What this represents is the transition from design and prototype to actually building

00:25HMAS Hunter.

00:27The frigate program has faced uncertainty, time and cost blowouts and was cut back in

00:32February from nine to six vessels.

00:35With construction now underway, contracts are in place with shipbuilder BAE Systems

00:40and Richard Miles says the government is working closely with the firm on costs.

00:44There will be an ongoing negotiation around what prices look like for vessels in the future.

00:51But that pricing negotiation has been happening.

00:54Continuing negotiations about paying conditions seeing workers at submarine maker ASC walk

00:59off the job at the same time as the ceremony from the adjoining shipyard where the ageing

01:04Collins class submarines are being maintained and upgraded.

01:10The guys are just after parity with Western Australian workers, they do the same job.

01:14Perth is also the home port for the HMAS Stalwart which is currently stuck in Darwin and is

01:19one of two Navy supply ships now out of operation.

01:23The Chief of Navy says problems hit the vessel after finishing a border protection mission.

01:28My focus is on understanding the issue, returning the ship to safe operation and getting it

01:33back to home port.

01:34Investigations with the HMAS Stalwart continue.

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