Reith lands big-money defence job
the Sunday Mail
03feb02
FORMER Defence Minister Peter Reith has taken a lucrative consultancy with one of Australia's biggest defence contractors.
Tenix Group, which employs 2000 people at its Williamstown shipyard in Melbourne, announced yesterday that Mr Reith had agreed to work in a consultancy role with the company.
Tenix managing director Paul Salteri said securing Mr Reith's services was a coup.
"Mr Reith's skills and experience in government and opposition, over a range of portfolios, enables him to give valuable advice and guidance to Tenix in its relations with government," Mr Salteri said.
Mr Reith's appointment, just three months after quitting federal politics, comes amid fears that Tenix's 2000 employees at Williamstown and up to 10,000 others in related industries could lose their jobs.
The Victorian Government and unions warned that centralisation of shipbuilding in South Australia could force the closure of the 120-year-old Williamstown shipyard within six years.
Under proposals put during Mr Reith's time as defence minister, major shipbuilding contracts would go to SA.
Tenix has said it could not guarantee the Williamstown shipyard would continue operating past 2006, when it was due to finish building Anzac frigates.
Williamstown's future could hinge on Tenix's bid for a $430 million patrol boat contract.
The Federal Government is understood to have offered multi-billion-dollar incentives to centralise shipbuilding in SA. The incentives include first refusal for billions of dollars of navy work to the buyer of the Australian Submarine Corporation in Osborne in SA.