PRIME MINISTER
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
AT THE INDUCTION CEREMONY FOR HMAS WESTRALIA
AT H14AS STIRLING 12 MARCH 1990
Ladies and gentlemen
Today marks an important step forward in the development of
Australia's defence self-reliance. And not just because H-MAS
Westralia is about to expand the capacities of our Western
fleet, important and welcome as that is.
I can announce today that Australia has proposed to the United
States that the Australian Defence Force take over and operate
the North West Cape Naval Communications Station.
My Government put this proposal to the United States last
month, and last week the US Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney,
wrote back to Kim Beazley welcoming it and agreeing to the
opening of negotiations. These will begin soon.
This development is a landmark in building Australia's selfreliance
and a measure of the maturity of our relationship
with the United States.
North West Cape has functioned as a joint facility since 1963.
its primary purpose is to communicate with submerged
submarines. The Station is becoming more and more important to Australia's
own defence forces. It provides the only means of
communicating with our submerged submarines, and we use that
capability extensively.
Under current arrangements, one of the Station's submarine
communications channels is continuously used by the RAN.
North West Cape will become even more important to Australia
over the next ten years, as our new submarines join the RAN.
They will make the submarine squadron an even more crucial
element of Australia's defence and Australia's defence selfreliance.
For Australia, North West Cape remains absolutely vital. T1
ffr 01 A' TlI S11 ti i
T1 1
f' 0' A a-N f! i i
A pA
c p S rt
t
The operation of North West Cape as an Australian defence
facility will therefore further enhance our drive for selfreliance.
It shows that Australia is itself willing to take
the responsibility for ensuring that this essential element of
our submarine capability is maintained.
Australia's proposal has been made at a time when the United
States is re-examining its strategic role and
responsibilities. The Australian Government strongly supports a continued United
States involvement in the Asia/ Pacific region and I know
that President Bush's Administration is fully committed to
maintaining that involvement.
We recognise that over the coming years it will be harder for
the United States to sustain the huge commitment it has borne
in the Pacific for so long.
The United States has developed new ways of communicating with
its submarines, and they are deploying fewer submarines in our
region. North West Cape remains important to the United
States but not as vital as it used to be.
Under our proposal, Australia would manage the Station and
facilitate the passing of United States signals through it to
US Navy submarines.
So, as well as enhancing Australia's self-reliance, our
proposal makes a new and constructive contribution to
modernising the alliance in changing times, and to supporting
our shared interests in the stability of the Asia/ Pacific
region. A few years ago a significant number of Australians resented
and opposed the presence in Australia of what were widely
misunderstood to be ' US bases" including at North West Cape.
Now, as a result of the deliberate policies of my Government,
such misconceptions are rare.
We have made it clear to the Australian people that these
facilities are indeed jointly managed and we have also
increased the degree of Australian management in them.
At the same time, we have demonstrated that these facilities
perform tasks that are of critical importance and value to
Australia's own needs, both in enhancing our own security and
in promoting the great global goals of disarmament and arms
control verification goals which my Government has actively
sought to advance in our broader bilateral and multilateral
policies. So, as we signal this landmark change in Australia's
responsibilities in relation to North West Cape, I take pride
that it has been my Government that has achieved this
transformation in public opinion, and I believe all
Australians can take pride that our defence self-reliance is
being so effectively advanced.
Ladies and gentlemen,
HMAS Westralia, based here in Western Australia, will give the
ships of our western fleet the ability to undertake extended
operations throughout our region and make an important
contribution to our defence self-reliance.
Self-reliance demands that our defence forces can protect
Australia on their own which means defending all of Australia.
That is why we are building a two-ocean navy.
Under the Government's defence strategy, Australia's maritime
forces will play an increasing role in our defence in the
years ahead. We are finding that as we re-shape our force
structure to meet the unique demands of our strategic
environment, maritime forces are becoming more important.
We have responded to this by building new frigates,
submarines, minehunters and survey ships, and, of course, by
buying the Westralia.
in the air, we are developing the maritime strike capabilities
of our airforce by fitting our aircraft with modern guided
weapons, building strategically-located airfields, and
developing air-to-air refuelling.
And we are building the Jindalee radar system to give us
unparalleled surveillance of our maritime approaches.
our over-riding priority in developing our defence forces is
the direct defence of Australia. Our commitment to this
priority was confirmed by the unique and highly successful
Kangaroo 89 exercise across northern Australia last August.
We also value the capacity which modern maritime forces based
here in Western Australia give us to contribute to security in
our wider region.
And that itself is part of a wider policy, to which we are
deeply committed, of comprehensive engagement with Asia and
the Pacific. It includes our concern with and involvement in
the political issues of the region, as demonstrated by the
Government's efforts to contribute to a solution of the
Cambodian tragedy. It includes our determination that
Australia must be enmeshed with the economic dynamism of Asia
and the Pacific, a goal which we have pursued through our
initiative to establish a new mechanism for economic
cooperation linking regional countries.
HMAS Westralia will play a significant role in our defence
and, in that way, in our larger goal of regional stability. I
am delighted to be here for her naming by Mrs Gration and to
see her take her place in the Royal Australian Navy.