About
The Australian Government is committed to establishing a consolidated Commonwealth-owned Defence precinct in Henderson, Western Australia. The precinct will be capable of building and sustaining larger and more complex vessels.
The Henderson Defence Precinct is a critical next step in delivering continuous naval shipbuilding and Australia’s AUKUS commitments, contributing to regional security, as set out in the 2024 Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Plan.
The Australian Government is committing an initial $127 million over 3 years to progress planning, consultations, preliminary design and feasibility studies as well as enabling works. This builds on the previously announced $8 billion investment in upgrades to HMAS Stirling out to the mid-2030s, to be an operating base for Australia’s sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (from early 2030s) and to support Submarine Rotational Force – West (from 2027).
Project details
The Henderson Defence Precinct will enhance Australia’s self-reliance by constructing and sustaining surface fleet vessels.
Establishing the precinct involves:
- Transforming the precinct into a world-class shipbuilding and sustainment hub capable of building and sustaining larger and more complex vessels.
- Bringing together multiple shipbuilding projects under one agreement so capability can be delivered effectively and efficiently and industry has a stable pipeline of work.
Along with Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia, the Henderson Defence Precinct will play a crucial role in the Australian Government’s continuous shipbuilding capability, with the construction of:
- 18 medium landing craft and 8 heavy landing craft for Army’s new littoral fleet under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement pilot program.
- General Purpose Frigates to provide maritime and land strike, air defence and escort capabilities.
The Henderson Defence Precinct will be the location for contingency docking and depot level maintenance of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement
As part of the consolidation approach, the Australian Government announced the establishment of a single strategic shipbuilder as a strategic partner to Defence.
A Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with Austal will:
- incentivise investment in the industrial capability of the Henderson precinct
- allow for continuous shipbuilding capability, limiting time delays
- provide the broader supply chain, sub-contractors, and investors with greater confidence in their long-term partnership with Defence
- allow for opportunities to conduct long-term workforce planning, as well as foster enduring community and regional engagement.
The government expects the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement to end a boom-bust cycle of shipbuilding activity that negatively impacts local businesses, workers and their families. It will not exclude other entities from being engaged to work on shipbuilding activities at Henderson.
Benefits
The growth of both the shipbuilding and sustainment industries is essential to the Henderson region’s economic vitality and development.
As important is the quality and sophistication of the skillsets needed for a complex national naval shipbuilding and sustainment program, and for our conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarine capability.
Establishing the Henderson Defence Precinct will generate socio-economic benefits in the communities that will grow in support of this major, national endeavour: housing, schools, transport, services, and infrastructure will all be needed.
Collaboration
Ongoing alignment and collaboration across all tiers of government, industry and community is critical to deliver this significant and complex undertaking.
Henderson Defence Precinct will be supported by the Western Australian Government’s Western Trade Coast Infrastructure Strategy, which will help address transport needs, the availability of industrial land, ageing infrastructure and constraints to supply chain connectivity and continuity.
Ongoing collaboration with the state government is central to delivering this world-class naval shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise. Local and regional industry are critical to its success, and Defence is working closely with them to maximise benefits and mitigate impacts as the precinct is transformed.
Works will be undertaken through a phased approach over more than a decade, which will take into account the capability requirements of the various vessels to be built and sustained. This will aim to minimise disruption to ongoing activities in the defence and commercial sectors.
Initial planning for enabling works is set to begin this year.