Classified: Richard Marles’ questions over nuclear submarines

In a classified briefing, deputy Labor leader ­Richard Marles questioned security and defence chiefs about the decision to scrap the French deal in favour of nuclear-powered ­submarines.

Questions Richard Marles asked during the top-secret briefing gave the impression to some figures in the room that he held reservations about the government no longer honouring the $90bn French submarine project. Picture: Liam Kidston

In a high-level classified briefing to Labor’s leadership about the AUKUS agreement before it was made public, deputy leader ­Richard Marles questioned security and defence chiefs about the decision to scrap the French deal in favour of nuclear-powered ­submarines.

Labor’s senior leadership team was briefed on the security partnership struck by Australia, the US and the UK on September 15 last year, the evening before the Morrison government publicly announced it.

Questions Mr Marles asked during the top-secret briefing gave the impression to some figures in the room that he held reservations about the government no longer honouring the longstanding $90bn French “Future Submarine” project.

Despite his questions during the classified briefing, Mr Marles publicly and privately has only ever been supportive of AUKUS and the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Senior defence and national security officials, including the Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell, Chief of Navy Michael Noonan and Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarty, were among those who gave the classified briefing about the AUKUS agreement, which Australia had negotiated in secret with the Biden administration and the Johnson Government.

Anthony Albanese, foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong, defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor and Mr Marles were the senior Labor figures briefed on the trilateral partnership.

The perception of several sources in the room, based on Mr Marles’ questions to the officials, was that he held reservations about axing the French deal rather than any opposition to AUKUS, which he strongly supported. One source familiar with the dialogue believes the words Mr Marles uttered were: “I don’t support this decision. I think we should just stick with what we’ve got.”

Mr Marles declined to comment when contacted multiple times with specific questions on the matter by The Australian. But it is understood he strongly rejects the suggestion that he opposed nuclear-powered submarines.

Labor has attacked the Morrison government during the election campaign for not bringing the party into the loop on AUKUS earlier in the process, claiming ­bipartisanship was a Biden administration prerequisite for the agreement.

Scott Morrison said he was confident Labor would ultimately support the AUKUS arrangement, notwithstanding his ­general ­reservations over their handling of national security matters.

When the AUKUS deal was ­announced, Mr Marles criticised how the Morrison government had handled the French relationship. “At no point in last week’s decision was there any suggestion by Scott Morrison that France had failed to fulfil any of its obligations under the contract,” Mr Marles said.

Publicly, Mr Marles has backed the AUKUS agreement and the nuclear-powered submarine deal. In his most detailed interview on the topic with Sky News, on September 20 last year, Mr Marles was asked four times whether Labor would have agreed to “go nuclear on submarines if the ­government had decided that back in 2016”.

Mr Marles initially deflected the question by saying there had been “a complete failure on the part of the Morrison government to properly manage this program”.

“I think after people get past the fact of looking at ­nuclear-powered submarines, people will realise that what’s happened here is we are seeing delay after delay, billions of dollars wasted, thousands of jobs going to waste as well,” he said.

hen it was put to Mr Marles that nuclear-submarine technology was “always going to need bipartisan support because otherwise, Labor gets elected, the project collapses and you pick something new again”, he said: “We made very clear almost immediately that we accept that this is the best technology for our future submarine capability.”

After further questioning, Mr Marles continued to say there was bipartisan support.

An investigation by The Australian has revealed Mr Marles held 10 meetings with the Chinese embassy over the past five years, while Senator Wong held two and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had three.The Australian has also revealed Mr Marles showed a pro-China speech he planned to give in Beijing to the Chinese embassy prior to delivering it. He also failed to disclose on his pecuniary-interests register that part of his trip to Beijing in September 2019 was sponsored by a think tank.