The next round of Australian navy ships needs to be designed and built locally to avoid job and skill losses across domestic shipyards, a union says.
The International Fleet Review in Sydney provided the backdrop for an Australian Manufactures Workers Union call for the Abbott government to retain domestic capacity to build defence ships.
The call came after international war and tall ships sailed into Sydney Harbour for the event commemorating 100 years since the establishment of the Australian Navy fleet.
The union used the event and stellar crowds on Sunday to push their campaign for local ship building.
AMWU secretary Paul Bastian said the decision needed to be made now to safeguard the country's shipbuilding future.
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"If we do not get certainty about future work soon then thousands of jobs at shipyards across Australia will be at risk," Mr Bastian said.
"We are heading toward a 'valley of death' where shipyards will soon run out of work, which will cause a permanent loss of skills and capacity.
"The looming decision on where we design and build our ships is critical to ensuring we keep these jobs, and all the high quality skills that go with them."
Some of the Navy's current fleet, including HMAS Success, were built in Australia.
