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

I thank Senator Reynolds very much for her question. The government's decision in relation to the selection of DCNS of France as our preferred international partner to design the Australian build of our future submarines is based entirely on capability and delivering for Australia a regionally superior submarine. Our decision to partner with DCNS of France is based on the outcomes of the competitive evaluation process that this government put in train in February last year which assessed that DCNS offered Australia the opportunity to design and build a regionally superior submarine capability that best meets our unique submarine requirements.

The decision to select DCNS was, as I said, driven by capability. DCNS was best able to meet all of our unique capability requirements, including superior sensor performance and stealth characteristics, as well as range and endurance similar to the Collins class submarine. These are decisions based on the capability that we need to ensure our national and economic security for decades to come. What the decision also does is to build a sovereign submarine capability with the construction of the 12 future submarines at the shipyard in Adelaide and it secures a long-term continuous naval shipbuilding industry in Australia. In fact, these decisions represent a more than $50 billion investment in Australia's future safety and security over decades and will also ensure that Australia has a regionally superior submarine capability for those decades to come. I am very proud to be part of a government that is getting on with the job of securing our nation's long-term security and economic prosperity, and this decision is a further example of that.