George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Gallacher, I know Mr Innes Willox; I have a lot of respect for Innes Willox. And I can assure you that, when the government makes its final decision on the next generation of the Australian submarine, Australian industry will be delighted because there is going to be one overriding criterion—Senator Gallacher might be interested to know—in the decision that ultimately we will make and that is what is in the best interests of Australia. And at the moment, as Senator Gallacher, I am sure, is aware, the government is undertaking a competitive evaluation process to select the most appropriate international partner for the construction of the next generation of the Australian submarine.