The shadow defence minister has accused the Albanese Government of “crab-walking” away from AUKUS as he urges Labor to push ahead with nuclear submarines on an accelerated timeline.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton revealed last month that he had developed a plan to acquire two nuclear-powered submarines from the United States by 2030 to fill an expected capability gap.
But recent projections see the submarines not hitting the water for at least two decades, with Defence Minister Richard Marles telling the Nine newspapers that delivery was “more likely to be in the mid-2040s”. “Why hasn’t he articulated a plan to achieve those submarines on an accelerated timeline and why has he opened the door to conventional submarines?
Mr Hastie – who served as assistant defence minister under Mr Dutton in the Morrison government – said his Labor counterpart was attempting to walk away from the landmark AUKUS deal.