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

No, in response to Senator Patrick's supplementary question, that is not the view of the government. We've been, obviously, planning the extension of the service life of the Collins class submarine for some time. In fact, the planning commenced in 2011. This government is actually progressing the work itself. Both defence and industry are continuing to progress the Collins class submarine life-of-type extension work on schedule to support the first boat that will need an extension. That's HMAS Farncomb. That commences in mid-2026. All six submarines will undergo life-of-type extension within the budget that is currently allocated, extending the life of each submarine by 10 years. We are engaging all of the expertise that we need to progress that life-of-type extension program successfully. That includes support from Saab Kockums to de-risk the delivery of the life-of-type extension activities. I don't agree with the proposition that Senator Patrick put at the beginning of his question.