The government is using the announcement of the $50 billion submarine contract to spruik its credentials to voters in Adelaide with a recorded phone message from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull himself. Voters in the electorate of Sturt received the message yesterday, which also highlighted the work of Industry and Innovation Minister Christopher Pyne. Voters heard:

“Hello, I’m Malcolm Turnbull. Yesterday we announced the building of 12 submarines in Adelaide. This follows our commitment to build offshore patrol vessels, starting in 2018, and nine future frigates, starting in 2020. This keeps naval shipbuilding jobs and skills in Adelaide. This is part of our plan for the future. Your federal MP, Christopher Pyne, is a strong advocate for our plan to secure South Australia’s future. Thanks for your time.”

The 30-second message was recorded by a Crikey reader and can be heard here. We have also heard that the message has been received by voters in the seat of Mayo, but we don’t know whether that message also lauds Pyne, or his colleague Jamie Briggs. With an election bearing down on us, the government is taking all measures possible to ensure that even the most stealthy submarines can’t be missed.