Boost for shipbuilding facility

The South Australian government has approved a $115 million funding boost for a new shipbuilding facility in Adelaide. Techport Australia, at suburban Osborne, will be the home base for the $6 billion air warfare destroyer project.

Premier Mike Rann said the extra funds would ensure it became the best shipbuilding facility in the Southern Hemisphere. Techport Australia's total budget of $243 million will enable it to establish world-class infrastructure that supports multiple users.

This expansion will include an additional shipbuilding berth, additional rail racks to move larger vessels and associated infrastructure being built alongside the original berth that will be used to construct the air warfare destroyers.

The government's goal with this project has always been to create a sustainable shipbuilding and repair industry, Rann said.