Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has toured a shipyard in northern England where Britain’s first AUKUS submarine will be built.
“We’re talking about the most sophisticated manufacturing task on the planet, which is why it has to be got right,” Mr Albanese said during a visit to the port town of Barrow-in-Furness on Wednesday (local time).
Australia and Britain will both build the new nuclear-powered military submarines, known as SSN-AUKUS, with Australian personnel picking up skills that will lead to subs being constructed in South Australia.
“I look forward to having Australians training alongside the highly skilled submarine builders here in Barrow-in-Furness,” Mr Albanese said.
The prime minister said the Australians he met at the BAE Systems shipyard will “bring those skills back home to build a stronger manufacturing sector in Australia”.
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Mr Albanese announced the details of Australia’s submarine pact with the US and Britain – part of the AUKUS security alliance – in March.
“The AUKUS arrangements are about our national security and about our common interests between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to uphold the international rule of law, to co-operate in both the development of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia but also with other technological co-operation,” Mr Albanese said.
“But also, it’s about something more than our national security, it’s about jobs and economic prosperity.”
Australia will acquire eight nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact by the 2050s, with the vessels set to cost up to $368 billion.
