Shipbuilding won't involve foreign workers

Australia will not bring in foreign workers to build new navy ships or submarines, Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne says.

Mr Pyne and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Adelaide on Tuesday to unveil the government's $89 billion shipbuilding plan.

The minister said work at the Osborne naval shipyard will generate 5000 jobs by the mid-2020s.

"We will not be bringing foreign workers in to build the ships or submarines," Mr Pyne told reporters.

However, he said a "miniscule" number of trainers will be brought in to "transfer their intellectual property to our workforce" as part of the submarine project involving French contractor DCNS.