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

In relation to whether the matter does or does not become an agenda item, our trilateral statement noted that a board agenda item addressing safeguards related to an Australian nuclear-powered submarine program is premature. When there are significant developments to report and in the interests of transparency, we are happy—indeed, very keen—to update the board in the future under the AOB, as we intended to do at this meeting.

The statement also noted that there have been some mischaracterisations of the AUKUS partnership and Australia's acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear powered submarines, and it clarified those. So I don't entirely agree with Senator Patrick's description of Ambassador Sadleir's approach, but that is the way in which the matter was dealt with on the agenda. Can I say that we have seen wilful disinformation in relation to the AUKUS announcement from a number of parties, and that disinformation compounds multiple offences of a similar nature this year. (Time expired)