iscover
The Albanese Government is set to invest $480 million into South Australia’s naval shipbuilding and submarine construction workforce with the launch of a state-of-the-art Skills and Training Academy at Osborne.
Work has now kicked off at the new academy site, which will be designed and delivered by Australian Naval Infrastructure (ANI) with design input from Kellogg, Brown and Root and Architectus. The facility is set to simulate a real submarine construction yard, offering a blend of hands‑on trade workshops, cutting-edge classrooms and a central submarine mock-up area.
This project forms a key pillar of the government’s broader AUKUS initiative, part of a $30 billion investment over the coming decades aimed at modernising Australian defence infrastructure.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles said, "South Australia’s industry will deliver billions of dollars in defence capabilities and thousands of well-paid, high skilled jobs – and the Skills and Training Academy Campus at Osborne is at the centre of this work."
At its peak, the submarine construction yard at Osborne is expected to employ up to 4,000 Australians during its build phase, with a further 4,000 to 5,500 direct jobs generated when Australia’s conventionally‑armed, nuclear‑powered submarine program reaches full swing – nearly double the workforce projected for the Attack class project.
"This isn’t just an investment in bricks and mortar – it is also an investment in generations of Australian workers who will be building our submarines, making their contribution to defending our nation and building a career for themselves as part of a future made in Australia," the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas welcomed this investment in South Australia's manufacturing industry, saying, "Developing the skills needed to deliver Adelaide-built nuclear-powered submarines is both the biggest opportunity, and biggest risk of AUKUS. We’ve seen at Barrow-in-Furness in the UK just how successfully a Skills and Training Academy can operate, and we’ll need to replicate that effort here."
The academy will also bolster the Hunter class frigate program, supporting at least 2,000 jobs and creating another 500 new roles over the next decade. These initiatives are part of the Commonwealth-South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report and Action Plan, which is already rolling out over 20 measures.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy expanded on the comments from the Deputy Prime Minister and Premier, saying, "The Albanese Government is building world class shipyards and delivering on continuous shipbuilding that will create thousands of well-paid jobs for decades to come. This initiative is critical if we are to have the workforce required to deliver the capabilities needed to safeguard the nation. This about making Australians safer while providing financial security for thousands of South Australians."
Key efforts include the expansion of the Defence Industry Pathways Program in South Australia, a pilot Shipbuilding Employment Pathways initiative delivered in partnership with PEER and TAFE SA, a Schools Pathways Program, as well as more than 1,000 additional Commonwealth Supported Places at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University from 2024 to 2027, and 3,000 technical scholarships for undergraduate STEM degrees.
This significant investment underlines the government’s commitment to building a robust, high-skilled defence future right here in South Australia.
