AUKUS nuclear submarine: what it means for Adelaide's ASC workforce

Adelaide's Australian Submarine Corporation workforce of approximately 2,500 people is at the centre of Australia's nuclear-powered submarine program, with the ASC's Osborne shipyard having been confirmed as the primary construction site for Australia's SSN-AUKUS submarines — the domestically designed and built nuclear-powered submarines that will enter service from the late 2030s and replace the Collins class conventional submarines that ASC currently builds and maintains.

The transition from Collins-class sustainment work to SSN-AUKUS construction represents the most significant challenge and opportunity in the ASC's history, requiring the workforce to develop skills in nuclear propulsion maintenance, advanced steel fabrication, and systems integration that go substantially beyond the current Collins class skill set. The federal government has committed to funding the training pathway through a partnership with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and through the exchange programs with the US and UK submarine programs that will expose ASC workers to operational nuclear submarine systems.

Federal Defence Minister Richard Marles said the ASC's Osborne workforce was "the foundation on which Australia's submarine program will be built," noting that the industrial skill base that ASC has developed over 35 years of building and maintaining Australia's submarines was not something that could be created quickly and that its preservation and development through the AUKUS transition period was a strategic priority.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has consistently advocated for the maximum possible work share for Adelaide in the AUKUS program and has established a dedicated Office for AUKUS SA to coordinate the state's engagement with the federal program and the US and UK industry partners whose cooperation is essential to the program's success.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.