AUKUS powers ahead with US endorsement

South Australian workers preparing to embark upon careers building conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines at Osborne can continue to do so with confidence, after the AUKUS pact received strong backing from the US President Donald Trump.

At a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, Mr Trump offered public backing of the trilateral pact between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“We’ve worked on this long and hard, and we’re starting that process right now, and I think it’s really moving along very rapidly, very well,” President Trump said.

The Secretary of the US Navy John Phelan told reporters of the importance of AUKUS to project power in the Indo-Pacific.

"We’re working very closely. I think what we’re really trying to do is take the original AUKUS framework and improve it for all three parties, and make it better, and clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the prior agreement, so it should be a win-win for everybody,” he said.

The AUKUS pact has bipartisan support in the US, UK and Australia, and has now been endorsed by incoming administrations in all three countries following a change of government.

Work is progressing rapidly to prepare for AUKUS in South Australia, where up to 4,000 Australian workers will be employed to design and build the infrastructure for the submarine construction yard at Osborne.

A further 4,000 5,500 direct jobs will be created to build Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines when the program reaches its peak.

Construction is underway for the South Australian-based Skills and Training Academy, where students will soon specialise in high-tech skills relevant to the state’s program of continuous naval shipbuilding.

The Malinauskas Labor Government is already investing heavily in growing the highly skilled workforce required to deliver AUKUS, including through the establishment of new technical colleges and the new Adelaide University, degree apprenticeships and investing in industry capability uplift.

The Commonwealth-South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report and Action Plan is well underway, with over 20 initiatives being implemented, including:

• the Defence Industry Pathways Program South Australian expansion
• the Shipbuilding Employment Pathways pilot initiative, to be delivered in partnership between PEER as the Group Training Organisation and TAFE SA as the training provider;
• the Schools Pathways Program;
• More than 1,000 additional Commonwealth Supported Places at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University from 2024-2027;
• 3,000 technical scholarships for students undertaking undergraduate STEM degrees at eligible universities.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

In South Australia, work on AUKUS is proceeding full steam ahead.

I welcome the strong endorsement of the defence pact from President Trump and members of his administration.

This is undoubtedly a partnership that is in the interests of each of the three nations involved.

Families considering a career for their son or daughter in defence industries can do so in the confidence this endeavour will be a lasting one, and set their child up for a lifetime of employment and opportunity.