Analysis: Purchase of five US nuclear subs raises questions on SA’s promise
Reports that Australia will buy submarines from America raised serious questions in Adelaide, writes Paul Starick.
SA News
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The decision to buy up to five US nuclear-powered submarines cast some doubt over the repeated promise of thousands of jobs building boats in Adelaide for generations.
In a clear sign of this uncertainty, Premier Peter Malinauskas early on Thursday afternoon challenged the federal government to honour its “clear commitment” to build nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide, vowing to be “full-frontal and unapologetic” in targeting his Labor counterparts if the promised Adelaide build was scuttled.
Later that afternoon, concerns had eased and senior federal sources were declaring South Australians would be genuinely pleased with the extent of work at Osborne, including the number of nuclear-powered submarines. Reinforcing this confidence, it’s important to consider the political and strategic interests of AUKUS nations.
The capacity of the US and British military industrial complexes is severely stretched by a naval shipbuilding race with China and demands for ammunition and hardware from the war in Ukraine.
Our closest allies need more capacity to build nuclear-powered submarines and to diversify their production geographically. Building a common sub for the three nations, as has been speculated under the AUKUS agreement, is complex but makes the supply chain much less fragile.
Two of Anthony Albanese’s four-person leadership team – Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell – would be humiliated if federal Labor scuttled Scott Morrison’s 2021 promise to build at least eight submarines at Osborne, in their home state.
The SA duo’s clout with the PM suggests that is highly unlikely. Yet when it comes to Adelaide submarine and naval shipbuilding, experience says it’s always wise to harbour a degree of scepticism about the extent to which political promises will be kept.
Originally published as Analysis: Purchase of five US nuclear subs raises questions on SA’s promise
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