Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard Australia’s fastest submarine options, Marles says

Buying ready-made nuclear submarines from overseas would be slower than building them in Adelaide, the defence minister says, as he reveals his next major moves.

Building a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide is the only way to ensure the boats hit the water as quickly as possible under the AUKUS security pact, Richard Marles has declared.

Ahead of his first visit to Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard as Defence Minister on Wednesday, Mr Marles said the state would also play a leading role in plugging the country’s naval capability gap.

After spending two days in Adelaide, the Deputy Prime Minister will travel to the US for the first time since he was sworn in to hold talks on the nuclear submarine deal. Mr Marles also flagged visiting Britain as his next priority.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Shooting down speculation the federal government would forgo a local build to acquire nuclear subs faster, the Defence Minister declared “Osborne is where it’s at”.

“Whichever way you look at it, Osborne is going to be completely fundamental to not only delivering the submarines but delivering them sooner rather than later,” he told The Advertiser.

“There is an existing industrial base in SA in a way there isn’t elsewhere.”

Mr Marles said initial planning for the now scrapped French Attack-class deal gave SA a headstart.

“You’re not starting from scratch in SA and we need to work out how we can use every advantage there is to make this happen as soon as possible,” he said.

It is understood senior Defence officials consider the theory of having the US or UK build the submarines faster is a misconception, as both those supply chains are already maxed out. Mr Marles said all options were on the table for plugging Australia’s looming capability gap – characterised by the Collins-class submarines ageing into obsolescence in the 2030s.

Interim options could include acquiring additional, conventional submarines before the AUKUS build. Mr Marles said in “every one of those (options), you end up having a conversation about South Australia”.

Mr Marles conceded Australia’s skills shortage was “a massive issue”. “We need to be making sure we are developing the skills required to build this … but it is a huge opportunity for South Australians,” he said.

It is understood Mr Marles will travel to the US within days for key Defence talks and that Britain would be his next visit. It is speculated Australia will choose to build a version of the US’s Virginia-class submarine.

Mr Marles will receive updates on the delayed Hunter-class frigate program in Adelaide. He said he had “complete confidence” in BAE Systems building the frigates on time.

The HMAS Dechaineux Collins Class submarine at Osborne. Picture: Emma Brasier

Analysis: Labor blows Coalition out of the water

Labor is showing a far greater ambition towards plugging Australia’s looming naval capability gap than the Coalition ever did.

While it is still early days, the federal government is doing a good job of debunking Liberal claims that Labor would be weak on security.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has been on an extraordinary blitz around the Pacific and South East Asia, mending relationships with key regional allies.

Defence Minister Richard Marles is heavily considering acquiring modern submarines to hold us over until the AUKUS boats hit the water – presumably about 2040.

China’s rising influence in the region means we need submarines that are up to the task.

The Collins-class has served us well but there is only so much patchwork that can be done before they fade into irrelevance. After dumping the French submarine deal – blowing out the time frame of getting even one new submarine – the Coalition committed to only piecemeal solutions, retrofitting various vessels with new weapons. These are very valuable projects but Mr Marles wants to go much further.

Instead of providing helpful suggestions, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has resorted to publicly sharing his back-of-the-napkin plans to somehow buy two Virginia-class subs from the US (he admitted this was just a thought bubble and never discussed it with the US).

As we know, talk is cheap – and Mr Marles will only be judged on whether he can deliver on his so-far impressive agenda.

Originally published as Adelaide’s Osborne shipyard Australia’s fastest submarine options, Marles says