Two significant milestones have highlighted the scale of the work underway to build Australia's sovereign continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise, and the central role Defence Delivery Group (DDG) plays in delivering that future.
In Western Australia, a joint Australian Government and Western Australian Government announcement led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook detailed the selected site and boundary for the Henderson Defence Precinct.
The precinct will support sovereign continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment and the sustainment of Australia's future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while delivering thousands of skilled jobs and underpinning long-term industrial growth in the state.
On the same day in South Australia, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy joined South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matthew Buckley and Deputy Secretary Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment David Hanley to mark the keel laying of the first Hunter-class frigate at Osborne Naval Shipyard.
The ceremony marked a major milestone in the delivery of Australia's future surface combatant fleet.
Together, the announcements reflect the growth in the capability of Australia's sovereign continuous naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise, delivering major infrastructure projects and advanced warship construction, and growing the workforce required to support them.
"The milestones reinforce the destroyer's role at the centre of a once-in-a-generation effort to grow the personnel, infrastructure and industrial capability needed to deliver and sustain the Navy's future fleet," Mr Hanley said.
"As these programs continue to mature, our focus remains on working with industry, government and Defence partners to build a resilient national enterprise that will support Australia's maritime capability for decades to come."
The Henderson Defence Precinct and the Hunter-class frigate program represent two of the largest and most significant investments in Australia's future maritime capability.
While one is focused on creating the infrastructure and industrial capacity needed to support future shipbuilding, ship sustainment and submarine sustainment in Western Australia, the other is delivering the next generation of warships.
Beyond warships and infrastructure, the success of the sovereign naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise relies on building the skills, partnerships and industrial capabilities critical to delivering, operating and sustaining advanced maritime capabilities for decades to come.
