Independent Senator Rex Patrick has highlighted the Coalition Government’s failure to take any action on comprehensive Defence studies on possible east coast bases for Australia’s submarine fleet, and instead announcing today the commencement of a further investigation.
“We’re 13 years and $3 billion into a future submarine project and what do we have to show for it? We’ve got a study into getting a nuclear submarine and, now, a study into where we might put them.”
“What’s more, this latest base location study comes after previous comprehensive investigations by Defence going back to 2011 have been ignored and not acted upon by the Government since then.”
“These previous studies were being kept highly secret until I forced the Department of Defence to release them through FOI back in 2018. They can be found here.”
“Call me cynical, but this is another Scott Morrison announcement designed to gloss over his Government’s disgraceful national security failures that have left our country vulnerable.”
