Minister for Defence Industries Martin Hamilton-Smith said today departing ASC chief executive officer Steve Ludlam has made a major contribution to the local naval shipbuilding industry.

“Steve brought with him a wealth of experience,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

“In almost five years at ASC, Steve has worked closely with both the Federal and State governments to develop South Australia’s capacity at Techport Australia to deliver on major defence projects.

“His arrival in Adelaide in 2010 came at an important time for ASC in its role as major partner in the $8 billion Air Warfare Destroyer project.

“The ASC is again at an important moment in its history as the Federal Government prepares a Defence White Paper to be published next year.

“The State Government looks forward to working with the incoming ASC chief executive to continue to advocate for South Australia as a major base for a continuous build of $250 billion worth of naval projects across the next 30 years.

“The decisions that will be made about the submarine and frigate programs will have a huge bearing on the future of this State and our defence industry.”