Abbott calls for more work for shipyards

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wants more defence work to be allocated to Australian shipyards. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has called on the federal government to allocate more defence work to Australian shipyards to keep them open.

Speaking at the BAE Systems Williamstown yard in Melbourne on Wednesday, Mr Abbott said the government needed to appropriately support the Australian Defence Force.

That meant supporting dockyards and other defence suppliers.

"Dockyards like this are in a degree of difficulty at the moment," he told reporters, blaming the situation on delays and spending cuts of up to $21 billion in defence.

"I call on the government to do what's necessary to ensure that dockyards like this have the appropriate work to keep going in the months and years ahead."

Williamstown is constructing hull blocks for the navy's three new air warfare destroyers (AWDs) and superstructure for two new landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships.

It would have had substantially more work but in 2011 capacity constraints led to some of the projects being reallocated to other yards, particularly Forgacs in Newcastle.

However, the government has left open the prospect of constructing a fourth AWD.

Mr Abbott again attacked Labor's record on defence spending which he said was at its lowest since 1938 as a percentage of GDP.

Subject to the right budgetary conditions, a coalition government wanted to return to Howard government defence funding levels, with three per cent annual increases and an objective of two per cent of GDP.

"We need a government that you can trust to keep the defence of Australia in good repair," he said.

Opposition defence spokesman David Johnston said LHD and AWD were John Howard projects launched 10 years ago, as he questioned what the Gillard government had done for the industry.

"What is on the drawing board now - absolutely nothing," he said.

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