US Senator Tim Kaine heading to WA for tour of Henderson shipyard, Stirling naval base amid AUKUS concerns

Former US Vice Presidential candidate Senator Tim Kaine is heading to Western Australia where he’s due to tour the Henderson shipyard and HMAS Stirling naval base to observe preparations for AUKUS nuclear submarine rotations that begin next year.

Hillary Clinton’s former running mate for the 2016 Presidential election is in the country for a series of engagements with the local defence industry sector and is also travelling to Adelaide, Darwin and Sydney during his visit.

On Tuesday, Federal Resources Minister Madeline King will accompany the US Senator for a tour of Henderson shipyard which is in her electorate of Rockingham and will be critical for supporting visiting US Virginia class submarines under AUKUS.

“The AUKUS agreement represents the single biggest investment in Australia’s defence capability in the nation’s history, and Western Australia will be at the forefront,” Ms King told The West Australian.

“I’m delighted to be able to show Senator Tim Kaine facilities like Henderson that will be key to implementing AUKUS.”

Under the first phase of AUKUS, up to four US nuclear-powered boats, and a British submarine, will begin regular rotations to HMAS Stirling under Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-W).

Over recent months concerns have been growing over the slow pace of transforming the Henderson Precinct site, despite the Albanese government last year unveiling $12 billion in new funding towards the project.

Senator Kaine, a former Democrat governor of Virginia who now serves on the key Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees in Washington, also last year co-sponsored the AUKUS Improvement Act into Congress.

During a visit to Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard on Monday, Senator Kaine said he was spending seven days in the country to learn more about local preparations for AUKUS, which include Australia’s plans to design and build a new fleet of submarines with the United Kingdom.

“It’s not just now Presidential level support, AUKUS has huge support in Congress – Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, and I’ve heard the same thing here as I’ve interacted with federal and state leaders and parliamentarians, that this is an initiative embraced across traditional political lines.”

“A project of this magnitude – it’ll have twists and turns; things will come up that we might not have predicted but that’s the test of a friendship – and this is a friendship that’s already been tested and survived.”

“We will be able to work through whatever happens along the way to make sure we deliver Virginia-class subs and then eventually Australian built subs over the course of this very transformative relationship.”