STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator O'SULLIVAN (Western Australia—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) (13:31): As Western Australian families face rising costs of living, inflation is placing additional pressure on household budgets. At the same time, the state is facing an unprecedented shortage of skilled tradespeople as the AUKUS program builds up and gathers pace. I recently visited Rockingham to hear firsthand about the infrastructure needed to support AUKUS.

The challenge is significant, and it cannot be left to local governments to shoulder the burden alone. Both the Cook and Albanese Labor governments have been slow to recognise the consequences of their inaction. Essential road infrastructure remains inadequate, and workforce planning has failed to keep pace with future demand.

The implications extend beyond Rockingham. Those challenges affect communities across Perth's south metropolitan region. According to the West Australian newspaper, the redevelopment of the Australian Marine Complex and surrounding areas highlights the sheer scale of the task ahead.

It is expected to consume three times the amount of concrete used annually by Perth residential builders alone. That scale of development demands long-term planning and early investment. Yet, as usual, the Cook Labor government is playing catch-up.

First, it turned the proposed Garden Island Highway extension project into a bin fire, with a study that resembled a child's homework assignment. Now it's scrambling to develop the statewide workforce plan needed for Henderson's shipbuilding and submarine maintenance work. Meanwhile, commuters face daily traffic congestion, while the defence sector competes directly with the resources industry for skilled workers.

The MBA of WA is right to call for major investment in skills and training, but Labor must also demonstrate vision. It must show political courage, and, most importantly, it must get on with the job and deliver the infrastructure and the workforce planning that should have begun years ago. (Time expired)