{"id":32214,"date":"2016-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.fiveaa.com.au\/uncategorized\/newspaper-stands-by-report-there-is-plan-to-split-the-asc-2\/"},"modified":"2016-04-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-08T00:00:00","slug":"newspaper-stands-by-report-there-is-plan-to-split-the-asc-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.fiveaa.com.au\/show\/newspaper-stands-by-report-there-is-plan-to-split-the-asc-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Newspaper stands by report there is a plan to split the ASC"},"content":{"rendered":"

The West Australian\u2019s Andrew Probyn has stood by a report the Turnbull Government plans to split the Australian Submarine Corporation into two companies, despite the story being officially dismissed.<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt is wild speculation,\u201d Christopher Pyne said on FIVEAA of the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe simple truth is if Perth was to be the centre for naval shipbuilding, why did we just announce that Adelaide would have the Centre for Defence Capability? A $250-million project that I brought to Adelaide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Probyn reported that the plan would turn WA into the \u201cnation\u2019s warship factory<\/a>\u201d, and shrugged of Mr Pyne\u2019s denial.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course Christopher Pyne would say that,\u201d he told Leon Byner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is everyone wants to talk up their state\u2019s capacity to build ships and to build submarines,\u201d Mr Probyn said.<\/p>\n

He said the plan would see 50 per cent of the total submarine contract done in Western Australia, \u201cbecause the sustainment and maintenance will be done in WA\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe centre of tax payer subsided ship building is South Australia, but some of the best ships in the world let alone Australia are built in WA,\u201d Mr Probyn said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a horrible thing to hear when you\u2019re in Adelaide or South Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Probyn sung the praises of a shipbuilder in WA named Austal<\/a>, which builds ships for the US Navy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is without tax payer subsidy. It is a contract they have won fair and square, a contract that has allowed them to build a multi-billion dollar project out in Alabama in the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has also built all of Australia\u2019s offshore patrol vessels.\u201d<\/p>\n

LISTEN TO ANDREW PROBYN AND LEON BYNER HERE:<\/h3>\n