South Australia wants a 30-year commitment to build submarines in Australia.
Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has committed Labor to build submarines "here at home" should it win the next election.
But South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says a three-decade commitment is needed to ensure a strong manufacturing sector and economy.
"A strong manufacturing sector in South Australia and indeed the nation requires this nation to commit itself to a strong, local capacity to defend our nation with our own indigenous sovereign defence capability in the manufacturing sector," Mr Weatherill said.
"What that requires of Labor in government is to commit to a 30-year submarine and ship building program for this nation."
Quoting Labor's defence spokesman Stephen Conroy, Mr Shorten said building the next generation of submarines in Australia is the opportunity of a generation.
"Any government serious about national security must build our future submarines here at home," he told the opening day of the ALP conference in Melbourne.
"A Labor government will work with our industry, our unions, our allies and our overseas industry partners to build, maintain and sustain our submarines - in Australia."
South Australia has demanded an overseas submarine building program be ruled out before the federal government releases its Defence white paper.
A competitive evaluation process is under way for the contract, with Japan, France and Germany in the running ahead of an announcement in early 2016.
South Australian defence minister Martin Hamilton-Smith rejected a program combining local and overseas submarine construction.
"The federal governments mantra of best capability at the best price ignores the value of building long term skill bases and the value to industry of a local build," he said in a statement on Friday.
South Australian-based shipbuilding company ASC earlier this month announced it would cut more than 100 jobs from its air warfare destroyer program.
Mr Shorten gave an "absolute guarantee" a Labor government would support shipbuilding and skilled manufacturing, frontbencher Brendan O'Connor told a union rally outside Commonwealth government offices in Melbourne.
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