Nick Xenophon (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Minister representing the Prime Minister. Given the critical role and interest that the Prime Minister's office has in the Future Submarine project, is the Prime Minister's office aware that while on a tour of European and Japanese submarine manufacturers in late 2014—in particular, in November and December 2014—the Defence Materiel Organisation, the DMO, expressed to one or more of the submarine manufacturers a clear view that actually questioned Australia's capacity to build the future submarines in Australia? Will the minister unequivocally repudiate any such view that Australia does not have the capacity to build its future submarines?