Today I am pleased to announce my Government will provide $12 billion in new funding to the Henderson Defence Precinct right here in Western Australia. This brings our additional investment in defence over the next decade to $70 billion. When complete, this precinct will deliver continuous naval shipbuilding and AUKUS here in WA. And today's investment is another way we're delivering record defence funding to bolster Australia's capabilities. We're investing in our capability and we're investing in our relationships. This world class precinct will create more than 10,000 local jobs and strong opportunities for local industry. There's no greater honour than serving our country in our nation's uniform. And my Government is dedicated to investing in the defence capabilities that our nation requires to keep Australians safe. My Government has already made record investments across shipbuilding here in the West, and today's announcement builds on that. This initial investment today will underpin the delivery of the construction of surface vessels for the Australian Defence Force, starting with Army's Landing Craft and pending successful consolidation, the domestic build element of Australia future general purpose frigates. It will deliver facilities to support the sustainment of Australia's surface combatant vessels, contingency docking capabilities for Australia's future conventionally armed nuclear powered submarine fleet from the early 2030s, and depot level maintenance including graving docks. This commitment builds on the $127 million we committed for planning which led have to today's announcement. Progressing these capabilities is absolutely critical and I'm pleased to be joined by the Defence Minister and the Premier of WA as well as Minister Matt Keogh today. And we'll hear from the Deputy Prime Minister, then the Premier and then we'll take questions. But we might move in the meantime.
RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Thank you Prime Minister. Last October with the Premier, we announced the establishment of the Henderson Defence Precinct. At that time we committed $127 million over the next three years in order to do early works planning to scope this project. Today we are here within 12 months of that announcement to provide the first significant tranche of money to make this project happen. The early estimates are that the entire cost of the Henderson Defence Precinct over a decade and more will be around $25 billion. So, today's announcement of $12 billion represents a significant proportion of what we need to get this done. And this funding will provide for the security of the Henderson Defence Precinct, the lay down area to do our surface fleet which will include sheds, a contingency docking capability for the sustainment and maintenance of our future submarines and begin the process of building dry docks for the maintenance and sustainment of our future submarines. And in the process this will underpin the building of Army's Landing Crafts. It will provide for the basis of the sustainment of nuclear-powered submarines here at Henderson. And in time this will provide the place where we will see the building of the Mogami-class frigate in Australia when the manufacture and the building of that class of vessel transfers here to the Henderson Defence Precinct. The announcement that we are making today continues the significant momentum to seeing the Henderson Defence Precinct happen. It will give industry a sense of certainty and because Army's Landing Crafts begin the manufacture the building of them next year, in turn, what it will see is that the first component of this announcement of the funding that we're announcing today be spent here at Henderson next year. In time the Henderson Defence Precinct will be one of the biggest industrial facilities in Australia. In time it will employ directly around 4,000 people and sustain 10,000 jobs across Western Australia. Which in turn represents the most significant economic diversification of the Western Australian economy in decades. Over the last few weeks the Albanese Government has announced that we will be proceeding with the building of our next general purpose frigate with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries building the Mogami-class vessels. We've announced a $1.7 billion contract to see the most high tech long range underwater autonomous military capability in the form of Ghost Shark. And today's announcement is just another example of the Albanese Government investing what we need in Australia's defences to keep our nation safe.
ROGER COOK, PREMIER OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Thank you Deputy Prime Minister. Absolutely proud to stand behind the Prime Minister alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister Keogh and Minister Papalia for this important announcement today on behalf of all Western Australians. And we know in globally uncertain times the nation needs strong leadership. And the Albanese Labor Government is demonstrating that leadership today with this significant announcement to consolidate and develop the Henderson Defence Precinct. It's a huge step forward for progressing this precinct and a clear commitment to naval shipbuilding and the AUKUS agreement. And Western Australia looks forward to playing its part as part of the AUKUS alliance. This, the consolidation of the Henderson Precinct will be a significant boost to the defence industry in the West. And the $12 billion investment today takes us a long way forward in seeing this precinct come to life. This represents over 10,000 local WA jobs both in construction and the ongoing work around continuous naval shipbuilding here in this precinct and is a huge opportunity for us. We want to diversify our economy, make sure that WA stays the strongest economy in the country. We want Western Australians to have access to the quality jobs and the business opportunity that comes from a diversified economy, and the development of our defence industries is an important part of that diversified WA plan. This will be the largest shipbuilding and maintenance hub in the Southern Hemisphere and we'll see a significant body of work take place, potentially overtaking agriculture as Western Australia's second biggest industry. So, for us this is a big deal and we are extremely excited to play the role that we can working with the Federal Government to make sure that this project becomes a reality. Our state development laws, which we put in front of the Parliament this week, are an important part of enabling the Government to bring these sort of projects to fruition. And we will work day and night to make sure that not only can Western Australia play an important part of this defence project but that we continue to make sure that that Western Australians and the Western Australian economy benefits from this incredible Investment by the Federal Government. And now I think I hand back to you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, Rog. Happy to take questions. One at a time.
JOURNALIST: Is South Australia going to feel like they're missing out?
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. The two big states that are winners from what we are doing in defence are Western Australia and South Australia. The work that is going on in South Australia is already seeing training of new and upskilling of the workforce there in preparation for what will occur. The investment that's occurring in South Australia is enormous. And here in Western Australia it is as well. We will have in South Australia, the high-tech manufacturing that will come with the construction of the SSN-AUKUS nuclear powered submarines there in South Australia. And certainly Premier Malinauskas and Premier Cook are very pleased every time we cross the borders into either of those states.
JOURNALIST: It seems to me that the timing of this is ahead of your visit to the United States, a lot of this is about a message to the Trump Administration that we are pulling our weight. Is it fair to read some of that, given the context?
PRIME MINISTER: Australia has always pulled our weight. I'll ask Richard to supplement this. But Australia has always pulled our weight. We pay our way and we contribute to our alliance each and every day. What we have done here, if you look at what we've done since the Defence Strategic Review, is invest in capability to make a difference. Whether it be the announcements that were made last week about autonomous watercraft, whether we talk about what we're able to do here in Henderson or what we're doing in South Australia, what we're doing with production and manufacturing of missiles in Australia for the first time. In all of these assets, the increased number of defence personnel and recruitment that we're doing, the relationships that we're doing in our region, in the Pacific, in ASEAN, the work that we're doing with allies, the support that we're doing for Ukraine as well. What we do is to work each and every day and we'll continue to do that in partnership with our allies. But I might see if Richard wants to supplement.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: The first thing to say today's announcement is an announcement for Australia. Like, the Prime Minister has been really clear that the basis upon which we move forward is to assess our strategic landscape, understand the Defence Force that we need to build in order to meet that moment and then to resource it. And that's what we are doing here. Today, at the timing of today's announcement, really is about ensuring that we maintain real momentum around the building of the Henderson Defence Precinct. What you will see from us is that when we are in a position to make a defence announcement, we will do that. And we need to be doing it now because we are looking at building the Army's Landing Crafts here next year. And so it's really important that we're making this announcement right now to continue that momentum going forward, to continue providing that certainty to industry. And sure, Henderson is very much an AUKUS Precinct. It is where we will do sustainment and maintenance of our future submarines. And so I've got no doubt this decision will be welcomed in the United States, as it will be welcomed in the United Kingdom, because it is another step forward down the AUKUS path. But fundamentally, what we are doing here is an Australian announcement and it is based on meeting the timing needs that we have to maintain momentum around this facility.
JOURNALIST: On that, will the US be able to maintain ships here?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, is the objective here. But what we've done here, to go back a bit too, we made the announcement last year about the $170 million dollars for planning, and then today we've made the announcement as a result of that work that's been done. What we have done is consistent with the way that my Government operates across portfolios. It is orderly, it is considered, it always acts in the Australian national interest. We get it right, we get the detail right and then we make an announcement. And that stands in stark contrast to the announcement that was made here in the great state of WA by the Opposition during the election campaign, where just days before the election they announced $21 billion. They couldn't say where the money was coming from or what it was for. That's not how you defend the country. You don't defend the country with a media release. This here is what you defend the country with; with assets, with capability, and that's what we're investing in. I'll go around, I'll go here and then here.
JOURNALIST: So $12 billion over 10 years, does that really move the dial on the total defence spending of GDP? What do you say to people that think we need to do more to bring that defence ratio to where the US wants it to be?
PRIME MINISTER: What we do is we invest in our capability. Seems to me that no matter what portfolio you are looking at, what you don't do is say, here's the figure, and now we'll work out what we're going to spend it on. That was what our Opposition did during the election campaign and they couldn't say what it was for. We're investing in our capability based, based upon real decisions, with real dollars, real investments to produce real uplift in our capability.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: This is an Australian facility and part of what the AUKUS arrangements are - and Richard will come in - before we receive the Virginia-class submarines under the AUKUS arrangements, there will be a rotation of UK and US vessels. We know that one of the issues which is there, is the amount of time that submarines spend out of the water because of the need for the maintenance to occur and the lack of facilities on the Indian Ocean. So, this will provide for a significant benefit for our allies which is part of the AUKUS arrangement. But in addition to that, of course, what we're doing here is the construction of surface vessels, the sustainment of our surface combatant vessels and the depot level maintenance as well. This is an Australian facility that will make an enormous difference.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: In the simplest terms, the Henderson Defence Precinct will be the place that we sustain and maintain our future nuclear powered submarines. And it will also be the place where we undertake continuous naval shipbuilding in the West. That's what the Henderson Defence Precinct is. And so in that sense it is very much an Australian sovereign capability and that is its purpose. But in respect of the maintenance of submarines, it is an AUKUS facility. Now ultimately, where the United States really will maintain their submarines is a matter for the US. But we absolutely anticipate that this will be a facility which is available for them. It's in the context of what we do of course with our own submarine fleet. But this is really a very important contribution in terms of the alliance between ourselves and the United States and in terms of how we work with the US and with the UK.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, do you still have confidence in the Australian War Memorial Council after the judge's decision towards Chris Masters?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes - Kim Beazley's the Chair, a great West Australian and Matt Keogh's here, as the Minister. He might want to respond to that. But of course, and I must say that the Australian War Memorial, which is a sacred site for Australians, it is visited each and every day by young and old Australians to pay respect, to learn about the contribution that the men and women who've served us in uniform have made and to give respect particularly to those who've made the ultimate sacrifice. Matt.
MATT KEOGH, MINISTER FOR VETERANS' AFFAIRS: Thanks, Prime Minister. The Australian War Memorial is the centre of Australia's commemorative life and it informs not just an important function in terms of being where people can commemorate significant days and their family's involvement in Australian conflict, but also it serves an educative purpose. And of course it does that through a number of different ways, including the competition that it runs. But importantly it also does that independently, through the Council makes the decisions around how the War Memorial does that and it does that independently of government. And that's important as well, because it's about making sure that the Australian War Memorial is independent of politics and partisanship. And we trust the War Memorial to undertake the broad cross section of the work that it does in not only being a centre of commemoration, but also of education and research when it comes to Australia's involvement in conflict.
JOURNALIST: Have you sought questions as to why they've done that?
MINISTER KEOGH: Well, this only came to my attention this week with the media reporting, because what it does in that regard is independent. We saw some an explanation as to what's occurred there and they're running that process and it's now concluded, and they communicated that with people that were involved in that competition and they'll keep doing these education programs in various different ways, and that's a good thing that the War Memorial does.
JOURNALIST: You're heading to PNG with Richard Marles. It's a show of strong support for that country. 50 years of independence, Golden Jubilee. A lot of people thought at the time that it might not last. It has. How do you reflect on that as you plan to head off to PNG?
PRIME MINISTER: Papua New Guinea is a great democracy and a great friend. And the significance that we place in the relationship between Australia and PNG is exemplified by the fact that you will have the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, other Ministers there as well. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be about the commemoration of that significant day. And then there'll be other activities later on in the middle of the week as well, come Wednesday. But it will be a great celebration. I had the great honour of walking the Kokoda Track, or a portion of it, over three days with Prime Minister Marape in the lead up to Anzac Day last year, and that included the Anzac Day commemorations at Dawn Service at Isurava, which is a holy site for Australians and for Papua New Guineans. And the support that Australian soldiers were given by the people of PNG during that will never be forgotten. Never be forgotten. And the next couple of days, I think will be of great significance and a great celebration. Our relationship now is a relationship about security, it's an economic relationship, it's about people-to-people relations. And I look forward to the PNG Rugby League team entering the NRL in 2028. It is one of the great memories of my life that I spent those three days in Papua New Guinea last year and I'll never forget it.
JOURNALIST: In respect of the defence agreements [inaudible]
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: We're not planning on that, but we operate very significantly with Papua New Guinea, as we do with Fiji and Tonga, which, and obviously New Zealand, which are the other countries in the Pacific which operate a defence force. And, you know, increasingly we are doing exercises and operations with all of those countries and they in turn are doing exercises and operations here in Australia. And I think what we'll see with the defence agreement that we sign in the coming days is an agreement which speaks to an enormous amount of ambition between our two countries to work even more closely together. And I've been really excited and actually I feel privileged to have been a part of the process since January, where we really began thinking that we were doing a refresh of an old agreement which has been in place since 1977. But the level of ambition that both of us have brought to the table has meant that really, I believe what we'll be signing in the next few days is a genuinely historic agreement between our two countries.
JOURNALIST: Will that also include modernising PNG's Defence Force? There's one thing to train their soldiers as part of the Australian Army, but does it go further than that?
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: I think it would be right to say that what has characterised our relationship, in a defence sense, between our two defence forces over really the course of PNG's history as an independent state, has been to try and evolve the capability of the PNG Defence Force. And that includes both the equipment that they use, but also the skills that are brought to bear by the men and women of the PNG Defence Force. And that process will continue. And the defence agreement that we are going to sign will greatly facilitate that in a much bigger way going forward.
JOURNALIST:[inaudible]
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: I appreciate the question. Look, I think the thing to say about that, and there was a question earlier about whether this moves the needle, we've not really been focused on that as a measure, and partly because, in fact, there are different measures around the world of percentages of GDP. I mean, if you look at the way in which NATO accounts for its own spending in terms of percentage of GDP, based on that metric, our spending on GDP today in terms of defence is around 2.8 per cent. And so, precisely because there are differences around the place, we actually are focused on the process that the Prime Minister has articulated, to think about what is the need that we have and then to resource it. And what that process has yielded since we've come to office back in 2022, is now, with this announcement included, an additional almost $70 billion over the decade. And that number most definitely moves the needle. I mean, if you look at all the announcements that we've made, it is a significant increase over 10 years. Indeed, it is the biggest peacetime increase in Australia's defence spending in our nation's history. You don't get more moving of the needle than that. And every time we get up and do one of these announcements, that number grows. And what you'll see from us is this continuing to look at what our needs are based on the strategic landscape we face, and then we will resource them. And that's really the guidance and the way in which the Prime Minister has gone about having us approach this task. And that's, I hope, the way in which we're executing.
JOURNALIST: Does it make sense then for Australia to [inaudible]
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, everyone can go out and do their own sums. So, I mean, at one level, you know, we're getting into words here. What matters is the dollars that we're committing, and we're crystal clear on that. You know, today is a $12 billion commitment of new money over the decade. That is a significant amount of money. And it's taking our level to almost $70 billion relative to what we inherited back just, you know, over three years ago. And it really is a dramatic increase in Australia's defence spending and it most definitely moves the needle.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER: This is an Australian decision for Australia's national interest. So, to go to the question, not about comparing and what other countries want, we're investing in our capability. That's what we're doing. We don't respond to the needs of others. We respond to our own needs based upon the Defence Strategic Review, based upon the assets that we need and then we invest in it. That's precisely what we're doing. Can I conclude by just saying that it's great to be back here in WA. One of the things that I said in the lead up to 2022 was I wanted to put WA really at the centre of what my Government would deliver over the coming period. We're now into our fourth year. I think it's fair to say that I don't need a visa to get into WA because I'm here so often that it's a continuous visa from the Premier here in WA. And you know, the only concern here is that someone might challenge that I should be on the electoral roll here in WA. But we are consistently here delivering, whether it be Urgent Care Clinics in the health sector, the support for hospitals, the schools agreement that we've done, this defence agreement, the Free TAFE, the housing that we're delivering here in WA as well. And we're delivering not just in Perth, but delivering in the regions as well. The announcements that we made up at Wyndham Port, for example, that will open up export potential there in that wonderful part of the Kimberley. The work that we're doing in the Pilbara is consistent. In addition to that, I confirm that we'll be back in the next couple of months. I'll be bringing my whole Cabinet for another regional WA meeting, consistent with the commitments that we've made as well. That will be the second meeting of my Cabinet in Western Australia since the May election. And I look forward to many return visits and for engagement here, delivering for Western Australia and taking the opportunity to support this great state which is so important for our national economy. Thanks very much.
