Richard Price told an American Chamber of Commerce event that South Australian defence businesses need to start employing about 500 people a year now, so enough workers are adequately trained when submarine construction starts in 10 years.

Work on the $2 billion shipyard at Osborne to build British-designed evolved Astute-class nuclear-powered submarines is expected to start this year, with first steel cut this decade.

“Get them early and give them part time jobs, find a way to get them into the industry,” Price said during a panel discussion about challenges facing Australia’s defence.

“Those kids working in Maccas and in the case of my son, his girlfriend does mechanical engineering and she works as a receptionist at a physiotherapist, why is she not working in defence?”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in March this year a $368 billion AUKUS deal where Australia will buy three Virginia Class nuclear-powered submarines from the United States in the early 2030s.

Alongside this, the Astute-class subs will be designed in the United Kingdom Defence Minister Richard Marles said and “first steel will be cut this decade” at Osborne, with Premier Peter Malinauskas having previously said the greatest challenge for the state is finding enough skilled workers.

Price said the state’s defence industry needs to start getting workers skilled now as you “can’t have that many people starting in industry, starting work in 10 years’ time”.

Another panellist, global defence giant Northrop Grumman’s general manager Asia Pacific Region Christine Zeitz, said current work under the AUKUS agreement provided enormous opportunity to Australia as the United States realised if the “Coral Sea could be cut off and Australia could not supply itself” if there was a conflict.

“One of the key changes is having US platforms and operations based in Australia,” she said.

She pointed to policy changes that meant Australia would be the first country outside the United States to provide a platform to its Virginia Class submarines and also the first Triton aircraft arriving in Australia next year.

South Australia’s defence companies have raised their own concerns about a dearth of work as the Commonwealth’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) has been completed – with another review of surface ships now underway.

Former Liberal Federal Defence Minister Christopher Pyne was also on the panel discussing the challenges around the DSR, and he acknowledged that industry needs a pipeline of work that moves more rapidly to keep them operating.

But he also warned industry to stop worrying about what might be reduced in spending through the recently released Defence Strategic Review and current review to instead focus on what needs to be built now.

“The opportunities are limitless, the money is limitless, the challenge is not dissipating quickly, the world is more dangerous than it was years ago and will continue to be more dangerous,” he said.

Pyne referred to commentary that fewer anti-submarine frigates could be built at Osborne by BAE Systems through the review on surface ship requirements for the Royal Australian Navy, saying there was “enough work to keep everybody busy for decades”.

“Let’s digest what we have in front of us before we need to start worrying about what we might be losing,” Pyne said.

“BAE Systems will be happy to have six to build and will be happy to build all of the other things on the agenda…. Rather than worrying about how many ships we are building, let’s get on with what we are building.”

He listed builds on Offshore Patrol Boats, Hunter Class Frigates, the submarines, life of type Collins and landing craft, saying it was enough to “keep everyone busy for decades”.