With swords drawn and drums beating, sailors from Hmas Stirling Naval Base were stopped in the street by Rockingham police on Saturday.

In a military tradition dating back to medieval times, the officers stood down as rehearsed when presented with a ceremonial scroll declaring Rockingham’s mayor and its residents had gifted HMAS Stirling “freedom of entry to the city”.

The theatrical parade saw hundreds of people line the streets to help celebrate the base’s links to Rockingham.

“We’ve been a navy town for a very, very long time so it’s important as far as our families are concerned, but also the employment opportunities, as well as defending our coast,” Mayor Deb Hamblin said.

As the largest naval base in the country, the navy is at the heart of Rockingham’s community and its economy.

But it is also behind some ongoing issues including traffic congestion on local roads that bottleneck before they reach the long, thin causeway linking the secure Garden Island base to the mainland.

The local Government is hopeful $8 billion set aside to prepare the region to host a rotating presence of US, UK, and eventually Australian nuclear-powered submarines will fast-track infrastructure upgrades.

“Traffic management to the causeway has been an ongoing problem, but now with Aukus that can be dealt with,” Ms Hamblin said.

“The mornings and the afternoons get pretty hectic; I think the navy have done a really good job in staggering their start times, but it is problematic and has been for a long time.”

Housing needed for hundreds of submariners

From 2027, Submarine Rotational Force West will see four US and one UK Virginia class submarines operating out of HMAS Stirling under the AUKUS agreement.

Along with the submarines will come hundreds of submariners and their families.

WA will also require an entire nuclear-knowledgeable local industry to ensure the vessels are securely and safely maintained and to prepare for Australia’s own fleet of nuclear-powered subs.

“The opportunities are fantastic, a projected $8 billion in investment projected over 10-15 years, the numbers tell you that we’re going to require a lot of jobs, a lot of employment in this region,” Rockingham Kwinana Chamber of Commerce chief executive Tony Solin said.

“We’re right next to HMAS Stirling, obviously, but also very close to Cockburn and Henderson, where a lot of the maintenance contracts will be, so I think Rockingham is a very important place.”

“The cost of living down here is still reasonable in terms of residential accommodation, so the problem is just being able to find it, but that’s an opportunity for investors and businesses to get involved and for the different levels of government to help them out.”

Government ‘not moving quickly enough’

The Liberal Party has taken aim at the WA state Labor government, alleging it is moving too slowly when it comes to preparing for AUKUS.

“We need to build a supply chain, we need to build the infrastructure, we need to build the security, the health networks, everything that will support Submarine Rotational Force West needs to happen,” Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie said.

“And my concern is the state government is not moving quickly enough to deliver the essential infrastructure that is required.

“There’s massive opportunities but plenty of risks, and my concern is that the WA Labor government under Roger Cook is ambivalent about AUKUS, they’re not seeing the opportunity and they’re not driving a lot of the work that needs to be done.”

Concerns dismissed as ‘political noise’

The WA government’s Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia dismissed those claims as political ‘noise’.

“The reason Western Australia has a voice on the defence national stage is because of our government,” Mr Papalia said.

“The reason for a lot of what is happening, in terms of preparation for nuclear sustainment and nuclear submarine sustainment in Western Australia, is because we actually gave a pathway to the current government a couple of weeks after they took office.

“Western Australia’s government is absolutely front and centre of delivering on this great national initiative.”

But Mr Papalia explained that while WA was closely involved in the project, it was ultimately led by the commonwealth, the Department of Defence, the US, and the British.

He also said that given it was a multi-billion-dollar complex project involving multiple governments, three navies, and some of the world’s brightest nuclear minds, it was ridiculous to suggest housing and roads would be neglected during the endeavour.

That sentiment was echoed by Madeleine King, who is the federal Resources Minister and member for Brand, which includes Rockingham.

“I would say those comments [by Mr Hastie] show a lack of confidence in Royal Australian Navy and I have an entirely supportive confidence in in the navy,” she said.

“I live not a mile from HMAS Stirling, and I grew up about two kilometres away from it, so I’m very familiar with the area and the challenges that the naval base does present to the local community, and they’re not insignificant, but they can be overcome, and we will overcome them.

“We know there’s a housing crisis right around the country and Western Australia is not immune, and neither is my hometown of Rockingham, but these considerations are actively being looked at.”

Ms King also condemned comments made by former defence minister Linda Reynolds, who last month declared the WA government was the ‘biggest threat to AUKUS’.

“I think that’s entirely outrageous, and I think it’s a little bit disgusting,” Ms King said.

“Quite frankly, the state government has been behind AUKUS and the Royal Australian Navy always, especially this Labor state government.

“And she should be reminded that Paul Papalia was a naval diver and always has the best interests of the Royal Australian Navy and our national interests at heart.”

Minister a ‘lone ranger’

Mr Hastie agreed that Mr Papalia “gets AUKUS”, but said in that respect the minister was a “lone ranger” in the WA government.

“He’s a former naval officer himself, I think he’s a good guy, he understands the strategic importance of AUKUS, but he’s a lone ranger, and he’s having to do it on his own,” Mr Hastie said.

“I mean, if anyone should be premier right now, it should be Paul Papalia, because the biggest task facing Roger Cook over the next few years is getting this state ready for AUKUS.

“If we miss the deadlines that AUKUS requires us to meet, we put this whole deal at risk.”

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