Continuous naval shipbuilding in Adelaide has been secured for decades to come with the Federal Government confirming it will proceed with the construction of Hunter class frigates and a replacement vessel for the Navy’s Hobart class destroyers at Osborne.
Construction on the first Hunter class frigate will begin this year, with the Federal Government committing funding to a program which will see the final of six Hunter frigates delivered to the Navy by 2043.
The Hunter class will be immediately followed by construction at Osborne of the replacement for Navy’s Hobart class destroyers.
The Commonwealth has also confirmed the Osborne shipyard will be used to upgrade the Hobart destroyers with the US Navy’s Aegis combat system.
The construction of the Hunter class frigates at Osborne will sustain at least 2000 jobs and create at least 500 new jobs over the next decade.
These are in addition to the 4000 estimated jobs required to build the new Submarine Construction Yard at Osborne, and the more than 4000 direct jobs to build the nuclear-powered submarines themselves.
The Federal Government has committed to increase Defence’s funding in the 2024-25 Federal Budget by $11.1 billion over the next decade to ensure the enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet is funded.
The work program for the Osborne shipyard now includes:
- Construction of Hunter class frigates
- Construction of SSN AUKUS submarines
- Construction of Air Warfare Destroyer replacement
- Upgrades to the current Air Warfare Destroyers
- Sustainment and Life of Type Extension of the Collins Class submarines.
Defence company BAE Systems Australia welcomed the announcement, with CEO Ben Hudson saying it will provide “decades worth of work at Osborne in South Australia”.
“This will underpin Australia’s shipbuilding enterprise into the future and sustain vital Australian jobs in high-end manufacturing, while providing resilience for our nation in uncertain times,” Mr Hudson said.
