16 December 2015
Doorstop interview – Austal shipyards, Henderson, Western Australia
Subjects: Shipbuilding, Submarines, South China Sea
“JOURNALIST: What shot does WA have in any of the three contracts: the frigates, the submarines, or the offshore patrol boats?
MINISTER PAYNE:
Well, we’re involved in three separate competitive evaluation processes, as you’d be aware. The CEP for the submarines: final submissions received on the 30th November from three different proponents internationally, in France, in Germany, and in Japan. We are commencing the competitive evaluation processes for the Offshore Patrol Vessels and the Future Frigates essentially as we speak. The government has made the decision to start that process just recently and I would love to see as much engagement as possible from Western Australia in those evaluation processes, those tenders, and the competitive nature of those will speak for itself in the end, of course. But to have facilities here and not to participate in that would be just plain crazy. So clearly we would encourage as many comers as wish to participate.
JOURNALIST: What’ll be the guiding principles?
MINISTER PAYNE:
Ah well, capability, capability, capability.”
See full interview HERE
