HIT 107
27 Apr 2016
Transcipt E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Interview on HIT 107 with Cat and Amos
Date: 27/04/2016
Subjects: Future Submarines build
Cat: Christopher Pyne, hello.
Christopher Pyne: Hi, how are you?
Amos: Good, Christopher. Good day for South Australia with the subs being announced. 2800 jobs and $50 billion. You must be rapt?
Christopher Pyne: I’m absolutely rapt. I mean this is not just the biggest defence contract awarded in Australia’s history, it’s the biggest defence contract right now in the world that’s been awarded. So, it’s great for our home town to win it. It means that we’ve secured high-tech, advanced manufacturing jobs for decades into the future. Long after I’m gone, this will still be working for South Australia and Australia.
Amos: Now Chris, the things I was interested in, there’s been a lot of talk about where the subs will be built and money and stuff like that, I just wanted to know why we need new submarines, and what will happen with the old ones?
Christopher Pyne: Well the old ones, the six Collins Class submarines, will stay in service until around 2030. Submarines are the most potent weapon in any navy, army, or air force. They are a very powerful weapon, which means they’re very important defensive part of our armoury. And these will be the most regionally superior submarines in the Western Pacific, and that means that we will be able to play a significant role in defending Australia and in defending our values right across the Western Pacific and Asia. And the Indian Ocean of course.
Amos: How much of conflict- with submarines is it just a deterrent in patrolling the area? Because they probably won’t ever see conflict, will they? Let’s hope.
Christopher Pyne: Absolutely. Hopefully they’ll never see any conflict; but in the event that there is a conflict they would be a very potent weapon, in fact the most potent weapon that any navy had in our part of the world, in our region, and that’s why it’s important for us to have them. We’re an island nation, of course, which means that we are surrounded by water. So therefore our navy and our air force are critically important for our defence. They will defend the sea lanes that we trade through for example. And in terms of forward defence into the South Pacific to show that we are a good regional neighbour and prepared to support and look after the countries of the South Pacific, they are a very important part of that message as well.
Cat: Are our current subs a bit out of touch, and what will happen to them when these new ones get built?
Amos: Yeah what are you going to do with them Chris, are they going to be like show, for civilian rides? Do they- what do they?
Christopher Pyne: [Laughs] Well they’re not very easy to sort of move around for rides for children, but they [laughs] …
Amos: We think it could be like the buffalo Chris, just put it in Glenelg, take people around.
Christopher Pyne: It’s still there the buffalo, I see it as we fly out across out of West Beach. Look, the Collins Class is still a very potent weapon, definitely they are still operating very successfully and they’ve had some bad press over the last couple of decades. But the truth is they are a very highly regarded conventional submarine, and they will continue to do the job that they’re doing right through to 2030.
Amos: [Interrupts] Could you see yourself in a sub Chris? I mean, as good as they are, how do you think you’d go if you were forced to live in one for a month? How do you think that you’d fare?
Christopher Pyne: I think it could be worse. I think they get well …
[Laughter]
Christopher Pyne: … they get quite well looked after down there. They get quite well looked after. You can’t- the submariners need to be taken care of, of course, you can’t- otherwise you can’t get them to go into the subs, so.
Amos: We of course wanted some V8 subs, we thought we might be able to get the Holden factory in for at least one [laughs].
Christopher Pyne: [Laughs] [Indistinct]. They are very powerful.
Amos: Hey Chris, before we let you go, and we couldn’t be happier that you joined us, you’re a crows man aren’t you, how are you finding this season? You must be rapt.
Christopher Pyne: Well [indistinct] I think the Crows are the real deal this season. Absolutely.
Amos: No because I sat next to you at a footy game and you were pumped up mate, I’ve got to say. That was the passion I want to see in a politician.
Christopher Pyne: I’m a Crows ambassador, I tell you, I love the Crows.
Amos: Of course you are.
Christopher Pyne: And I thought last week – I mean I’m loving this meme that’s going around, I know it’s [indistinct] …
Amos: [Talks over] Free kick to Hawthorn?
Christopher Pyne: … of the Hawthorn team [indistinct].
Amos: [Talks over] Mate royal commission into the free kicks to Hawthorn, that’s what we want.
Christopher Pyne: The Hawthorn [laughs] the Hawthorn team photo 19- 2016 with all the umpires holding the ball up. But yeah, the Crows played brilliantly last week. I mean they’ve had a fantastic start to the season, unlike Port Adelaide unfortunately for Port Adelaide. But [indistinct] great start.
Amos: [Talks over] That’s right mate. Hey the Port now has some subs in it, so they’ve been balanced out like that. Adelaide’s going well, we’ve got subs, Christopher Pyne, thanks very much for joining us.
Christopher Pyne: That’s a great pleasure.
Amos: So there we go. I can say, he’s passionate that man. Royal commission into the Hawthorn free kicks I’m loving, I think that’s good news. But other than that guys, from talking to the Minister of Industry, Innovation, and Science, we are asking you on 131060 can you make us 12 subs of the sandwich variety? Name your price, the tender’s out there, we do it next. We’ve got two people, and I’ve got to be honest, the prices they’re giving us are outrageous.
[ends]