Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McEwen for the question. I can state very clearly for the record that the material upon which Senator McEwen relies for her question is, in fact, completely incorrect. The Secretary of the Department of Defence and the Chief of Defence Force have advised the Prime Minister and me that their consistent advice to government has been that, firstly, it was highly unlikely the first of the future submarines could be delivered by 2026 and, secondly, an extension of life for the Collins class submarine would almost certainly be required. The secretary and the CDF further advised that a study commissioned by the defence minister confirmed in 2012 that an extension of life for the Collins was feasible and practical.

The Department of Defence and the ADF have since that time worked on the basis that an extension of life would be undertaken as the only practical option to ensure there was no capability gap between the Collins and the future submarines. The 2016 Defence white paper reflects precisely that advice from the secretary and the Chief of Defence Force.