For journalists covering Westport and AUKUS

The State Government’s dogged pursuit of Westport undermines the Federal Government’s AUKUS program, the Maritime Union of Australia has warned today.

Australia’s defence capabilities have become a key focus of both the State and Federal Government in the context of the current geopolitical situation and earlier this month the UK’s top AUKUS envoy urged the Government to ‘accelerate efforts to ensure the nuclear submarine pact doesn’t fall behind strict timetables’.

In the meantime, the WA Government is forging ahead with Westport, a new container terminal to replace Fremantle Port, within 10 kilometres of both the Henderson Shipyard and HMAS Stirling. This poses questions about the interface of the two projects as well as resource and labour competition.

This is in spite of the fact the Government’s own Infrastructure WA report has recommended the construction of the new port should be delayed by a decade and there should be increased investment in the existing port.

When the Westport project was first announced, AUKUS did not exist.

MUA WA Branch Secretary Will Tracey said he was confused about why the Government were continuing with a project that was so flawed.

“Ever since Westport was announced we have been sounding the alarm about the threat to jobs, the environment, safety and productivity,” Mr Tracey said.

“But now it’s not just us saying it, their own department is saying it and this is in addition to United States officials voicing their concerns about the project in the context of AUKUS.

“So it doesn’t make sense for our Allies, it doesn’t make sense for recreational fishers in the Sound, it doesn’t make sense for greenies, it doesn’t make sense in terms of the labour shortage and it certainly doesn’t make sense for port workers and businesses”.

“Waterfront workers don’t believe the Outer Harbour is needed, worst case they believe the government should listen to infrastructure WA and push the 2038 completion back ten years and invest in Fremantle port.”

For any further comment please contact the WA Branch of the MUA.

Background

Given the current geopolitical situation and heightened tensions between various superpowers, the focus on defence capabilities has become a key focus, as a result the Maritime Union of Australia has raised concerns about the State Government’s continued pursuit of the Westport project.

Western Australia Premier Roger Cook stated that AUKUS stands to create 10,000 direct jobs and an exponential amount of indirect employment.

Infrastructure WA has deemed the Westport project as superfluous to the WA’s immediate economic development needs.

The UK High Commissioner recently visited WA, as part of the UK Government’s review of AUKUS. The review following this visit made clear that AUKUS needed the WA Government’s focus and commitment.

When the WestPort project was first announced, AUKUS did not exist.

Infrastructure WA has suggested that West Port should be delayed for another 10 years as a result of conflicting resource competition that currently plagues the construction industry. Building WA’s two most significant infrastructure projects side-by-side, at the same time, will only add to the existing pressure.

Further, Infrastructure WA said that investment in Fremantle Ports would produce better productivity outcomes in terms of dollar spend.

With all of this considered, the Government should, at a minimum, delay the Westport project if not scrap it all together if it is truly committed to advancing AUKUS.

Quotes attributable to MUA Western Australia branch secretary Will Tracey:

“The world has changed since the seed was sown to build an automated port at the outer harbour.”

“The geostrategic context is evolving rapidly, and we need to adjust to new realities. It was never a good idea – but it is definitely a bad idea in the current context.”

“In this era of heightened geostrategic tensions – when our Chinese friends conducted live fire exercises a drop punt from the port – there are serious national security issues relating to an automated port of this type. Automation opens us to cyber security, modern espionage, and choke point concerns.

“Its construction will heighten resource competition, when our American and British allies want us to sharpen our focus on AUKUS infrastructure. Westport will be the state government’s largest infrastructure project in the same location and on the same timeline as AUKUS.

“Everyone remembers Gorgon cost blowouts of 40 percent, when two major oil and gas projects were being built at the same time – this will be a repeat of that mistake except the risk to national security is much higher.

“Infrastructure WA has asked for a 10-year delay, due to concerns over competing resources, and a stated position that a more productive and better spend for the state would be investing in Fremantle Port instead.”