Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slammed for remaining silent on a proposed nuclear submarine base in Brisbane

The Premier’s refusal to answer questions about a nuclear submarine base in Brisbane has been labelled “very strange” by Defence Minister Peter Dutton.

Annastacia Palaszczuk’s response to a nuclear submarine base being built in Brisbane has been labelled “very strange” by Defence Minister Peter Dutton.

The Prime Minister, in Queensland today, also warned state and local governments would be “doing themselves out” of a very significant investment if they refused to engage.

Brisbane, Port Kembla and Newcastle are on the shortlist for a new east-coast base which will house some of the nation’s fleet of nuclear submarines.

A base in Brisbane would complement the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Stirling base in Perth – which houses Australia’s existing fleet of six Collins-class submarines – and could be built at the Port of Brisbane.

Mr Morrison was due this morning to speak with Ms Palaszczuk on a range of issues, including the nuclear submarine base.

Ms Palaszczuk has so far refused to answer questions about her thoughts on the new base, saying she requires more detail on the project.

Mr Dutton said the Premier’s position was “very strange” compared to that of the New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet.

“The Premier of New South Wales on the same available information is committed to what he sees as an opportunity for New South Wales and thousands of jobs,” he said.

“So the industry that’s behind the submarines, it’s sustainment, it’s the money that visiting platforms spend in a local economy when they come to visit.

Mr Morrison confirmed there were technical issues with all three preferred sites, but said “another thing that’s going to be important in the government’s decision” would be the support from state and local governments.

He said Queensland had been “pretty quiet”.

“Now there’s no doubt that in Brisbane there are some logistical and technical issues and they have been identified through this process as there are issues with the other to other sites,” Mr Morrison said

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk continues to refuses to reveal if she will support the project. Picture: Liam Kidston

“But I can tell you another thing that’s going to be important in the government’s decision on this will at least a decision by government and that is the support that there is coming from state and local government to support the basing of such an operation.”

It comes after Opposition Leader David Crisafulli claimed Ms Palaszczuk’s refusal to say whether a multi-billion dollar submarine base should be built in Brisbane was to appease her party’s antinuclear stance.

While the Commonwealth is yet to provide details on the capacity of the new east-coast base, it is understood it will be built solely for submarine use.

Mr Morrison said a decision on where to locate the new east-coast base – which would be the first major defence build since the 1990s – would be made before the end of next year.

Ms Palaszczuk has declined for several days to reveal whether she would support the project which could deliver thousands of jobs and boost the state’s already strong defence industry supply chain.

When asked for her personal opinion about whether Brisbane should host a submarine base, Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday said “you should ask the Prime Minister”.

“It is a federal decision, it is in the lead up to a federal election and I do not have any detail,” the Premier said.

“I have just as much detail as the whole Queensland public has.

“The Prime Minister’s in town tomorrow … very good question to put to him.”

Ms Palaszczuk, whose government has previously spoken of its ambition to make Queensland the defence state, would not say why she was not jumping at the submarine base opportunity.

“You want me to comment on something, I have no detail,” she said.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the Premier’s non-commitment to the submarine base was to appease the antinuclear power position of the Queensland Labor Party.

“If the federal is looking to spend multi-billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs in your state you owe it to your citizens to be open minded and investigate it,” he said.

“It’s clear they’re trying to manage the politics over getting outcomes for people … it’s all to do with trying to avoid dealing with a political hot potato.”

Mr Crisafulli questioned why state ministers were in favour of some defence elements and not others.

“They’re happy to sit on a tank and put a khaki helmet on – they’re happy to tour the USS Reagan when it’s here – we all know what’ that’s powered with,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he was focused on flood recovery and could not comment further until he received more details on the project.

Queensland’s most senior federal Labor MP Jim Chalmers said the party had been “firm in support” of the AUKUS partnership and procuring nuclear submarines.

But he said there had been no detail and no consultation — with Labor or with the community.

“The nuclear submarine base announcement is from a Prime Minister who has taken a leaf out of his marketing playbook by making an announcement about an announcement that will be made in 2023 and won’t actually be feasible for more than a decade after that,” Mr Chalmers said.

Republic of Korea Submarine Lee Sun Sin comes alongside Diamantina Pier at Fleet Base West in Western Australia.

The Mayors of Wollongong and Newcastle have also pointed to the need for more details.

Council opposition leader Jared Cassidy said his side was opposed to the base.

“Labor in Brisbane City Council has always supported a nuclear-free city and that remains unchanged,” he said.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Dr Marcus Hellyer this week said he expected there would be “a lot of lobbying from the states and regional areas” to attract the submarine base as a significant asset.

But he warned the conversation would be controversial, as there would be “large sections” of the Australian population that wouldn’t want nuclear submarines in their ports.

It is understood the Port of Brisbane, which has the largest land holding of any capital city port, has no restrictions on accessing land.

However, the shallow nature of Moreton Bay could impede submarines, with one main shipping channel running between Caloundra and the berths.

A spokesman for the Port of Brisbane declined to comment on whether the site would be a suitable location for a submarine base.

“We don’t divulge the details of any of our interactions with the Defence Force,” he said.

Originally published as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk slammed for remaining silent on a proposed nuclear submarine base in Brisbane