Subs, lies and hate: PM says get over it

Scott Morrison has moved to defuse a row with France, saying no ‘further profit’ can come from the brawl over the axed $90bn submarine contract.

Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault warns that Australia’s bid for a free-trade agreement with the EU could be caught up in the fallout. Picture: Gary Ramage

Scott Morrison has moved to defuse a public row with the French government, and says there is no “further profit” from continuing to brawl over the axed $90bn Attack-class submarine contract.

The Prime Minister is facing renewed criticism over his handling of the dispute, with France’s top diplomat to Australia branding the AUKUS agreement a strategic blunder and a “giant leap into the unknown”.

Mr Morrison said, as he travelled home from Glasgow, that he was “going to move on”.

“Claims were made and claims were refuted,” Mr Morrison said.

“What is needed now is for us to move on, that is what is important — the Australian people, the United States and UK get on with the historic agreement we came to, to deliver an incredibly important capability to Australia to keep us safe and defend and protect Australia.

“I don’t think there is any further profit for anyone continuing down this path. We made the decision we did … in the Australian national interest.”

Mr Morrison has come under criticism over his handling of the issue from his predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull, who has accused the Prime Minister of lying to him “on many occasions”.

Mr Turnbull’s comments echoed those of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said Mr Morrison had lied to him about the submarine contracts.

“As you know, I always treat all former prime ministers with respect, and I’m going to continue to do that,” Mr Morrison said when asked to respond to Mr Turnbull.

The attempt to end the public tit-for-tat came as French ambassador Jean Pierre Thebault -accused the government of a breach of trust, suggesting it had plotted for months, or “even years”, to axe the French-designed Attack-class submarines by allowing them to be “intentionally vilified”.

Mr Thebault warned that Australia’s bid for a free-trade agreement with the EU could be caught up in the fallout, suggesting the bloc was likely to question “the quality of the signature” accompanying Australia’s commitment. He said the EU would also demand a substantial climate change commitment from Australia and pushed for the nation’s 2030 target, which was left unchanged at Glasgow, to be increased to 45 per cent.

Mr Thebault told the National Press Club in Canberra that it was up to Australia to repair the relationship between the countries by offering tangible and substantial “proof of love” for France.

But days after French President Emmanuel Macron branded Mr Morrison a liar, Mr Thebault said the relationship between the countries had hit an “unprecedented new low” with the leaking of confidential texts between the leaders.

He said the leak, purportedly showing Mr Macron had some inkling that the Attack-class -submarines might be cancelled, sent an ominous message to Australia’s diplomatic partners that their private conversations could be “weaponised” against them.

Mr Morrison said the leak had refuted Mr Macron’s claims about the Prime Minister’s integrity, and he was now focused on delivering “an incredibly important capability for Australia”.

The diplomatic assault was backed by China, which seized the opportunity to criticise Australia, declaring the government must give “honest answers” to France. Referring to France’s claim that Mr Morrison lied to Mr Macron, China’s foreign ministry said the government needed to “honestly face up” to concerns about its nuclear submarine deal.

Mr Thebault warned that Australia must now live with its decision, arguing that the planned nuclear submarines would take decades to arrive if they were delivered at all.

“It appears that there will be a capacity gap, maybe of up to 20 years,” he said.

“Magical thinking will not change the facts. Conducting a nuclear submarine program and maintaining it requires specific infrastructure and skills.

“It represents a daunting challenge … a very steep learning curve. We know this by experience as all nations with deep knowledge in this sector. There are no shortcuts without exposing the crews living alongside the reactors, and the civilian population nearby to considerable risk.”

Mr Thebault said the level of uncertainty “hardly seems compatible with the urgency” of Australia’s strategic needs.

He said the submarine agreement between the two countries was “always far more than a contract”, arguing France had placed “unprecedented trust” in transferring its most tightly held defence technology to Australia under a 50-year partnership.

Mr Thebault cited repeated evidence by Defence officials to Senate hearings that the Attack-class submarines would be “regionally superior” and were running on time and budget. But he said Australia had engaged in a campaign of “deceit”, allowing the submarines to be “intentionally vilified to become an easy scapegoat” for the AUKUS decision to buy nuclear submarines.

In defending the boats’ capability, he falsely claimed they would have been “exactly the same submarine we’re producing for our national defence forces”.

The Attack-class boats were based on France’s nuclear-powered Barracuda subs, which have far greater speed and stealth than conventional submarines.

Mr Thebault said France, as a major Indo-Pacific power, had no intention of winding back its engagement with the region and that the AUKUS announcement stood in “stark contrast with Australia’s alleged intent to seek greater involvement by European allies in the Indo-Pacific region”.

He said it was “now up to this Australian government to propose tangible actions” to repair its relationship with France.

“It’s not up to us to decide what Australia wants to propose; it’s up to Australia … But now, with experience, we won’t anymore buy on cheap words,” he said. “We won’t buy on promises of love. Love is good. But the proof of love is much better.”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Wednesday that she had reiterated the importance of the Attack-class program to French counterparts at a meeting 17 days before the announcement that Australia would build nuclear submarines with US and UK support.

“There had been no final decision taken at the time of the meeting,” Senator Payne told 2GB radio in Sydney.

Additional reporting: Will Glasgow