WA wants naval contract

The State Government of Western Australia has stepped-up its campaign to convince the

Australian government that WA should play a major role in a $2billion Australian Navy vessel contract. It believes that the Australian Marine Complex (AMC), located near Perth, and includes Austal Ships, is the logical choice to assemble the two amphibious vessels capable of transporting 1,000 personnel, holding 150 vehicles and featuring six helicopter landing spots, two operating theatres and a hospital ward.

Tenders would close in September and a decision was expected by May 2007. Two Australian companies, ADI and Tenix, had teamed with French and Spanish designers to bid for the contract.

The Minister said the AMC had housed such major projects as Tenix’s $60million Delos tanker conversion to HMAS Sirius, the ANZAC Alliance’s $500million ANZAC ship upgrades and Austal Ships’ $350million construction of the new Armidale Class patrol boats. The State and Federal Governments have invested more than $200million in the complex to date and the WA government has committed a further $81.1million to make it the best equipped place to undertake the consolidation of the ships.