Eric Abetz believes Hobart would be ideal for a nuclear submarine base

A Liberal Senator believes Hobart would be an ideal location for a nuclear submarine base, a move he says would “place Tasmania on the defence map”.

HOBART would be an ideal location for a nuclear submarine base, Liberal Senator Eric Abetz says.

The city is blessed with a deep water port and proximity to the increasingly strategically important Southern Ocean and Senator Abetz says he has written to Defence Minister Peter Dutton commending the idea of a base here.

“Given the important uplift in defence expenditure and heavy investment in a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, some money should be set aside for a submarine base in Tasmania,” he said.

HOBART, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 01: Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Sheean arrives for a logistics port visit on April 1, 2021 in Hobart, Australia.

Senator Abetz, who chairs the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, has called for the consideration of a “Scale-A submarine facility” for peacetime crew changes, provisioning, and repairs.

He said Hobart could act as a safe haven in time of emergency or a launching point to the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait.

“While not being prescriptive, the facility could be developed at relatively minimal cost

somewhere in the Derwent Estuary, which has deep water access, would be strategically

advantageous to an ever-changing defence situation.

“The base would provide extra flexibility whilst fairly placing Tasmania on the defence map and providing extra jobs and income from the defence budget, which has rightly been more focused on our northern borders.

“However, in light of the Chinese Communist Dictatorship’s concerning territorial and economic ambitions in the Southern Ocean, our capacity to protect our southern interests, including Antarctica, cannot be overlooked.”

Interview with Eric Abetz

The navy’s existing major submarine base is in Perth and repair facilities in Adelaide.

The Royal Australian Navy’s major presence in Tasmania is via the Navy Headquarters – Tasmania at Anglesea Barracks and occasional ship visits.

The Australian government tore up a deal with France to build conventionally-powered submarines in September last year.

Eight nuclear submarines will be built under the AUKUS agreement instead.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla are the three possible sites for a new east coast base for Australia’s proposed nuclear submarines under the AUKUS partnership.

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