Senator WONG: That's what I was asking. We're not America so we stop calling him that because he's a mister. Former Rear Admiral, Mr Sammut, has given evidence to the economics committee that he was not aware of the decision to acquire nuclear powered submarines until the media event. Right?

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Sorry, the Deputy PM has been cheering the potential arrival of a US nuclear submarine. But what you forgot to tell the Australian public is that it may be the only nuclear submarine that the UK is able to deploy at the moment because the rest of their fleet is suffering such chronic crew shortages and maintenance delays that they've been in port for the great bulk of the last

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: for the obvious reason that a nuclear submarine without a nuclear reactor core is not a nuclear submarine at all. This is the program that's going to produce the reactor for the AUKUS submarines. Vice Adm. Mead : Yes.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: There were concerning reports at the end of last year that only one was available. Vice Adm. Hammond : There are three submarines in the custody of the Royal Australian Navy right now.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: How large is the fleet of so-called legacy United States nuclear submarines, Vice Admiral Mead? Vice Adm. Mead : What do you actually mean by legacy? Are we talking about their existing submarine fleet? Then I'd probably hand this over to Chief of Navy, because they have different types of submarines in their fleet at the moment.

Mr ZAPPIA: Thank you. Dr Green : I don't have anything to add. Perhaps Tim Deere-Jones might. Mr Deere-Jones : I don't have much to add on the battle issue, but, as mentioned by previous speakers, there have been a number of submarines sunk and lost on the seabed. I have a particular watching brief on the Arctic radioactivity, and I can confirm that some of the Russian submarines that have been lo

Senator WONG: You don't need to answer that. Vice Adm. Noonan : I think the Secretary has provided a fulsome response. The new requirements for the nuclear-powered submarine will go into those considerations. There has been no determination by government, in terms of a short list of the options that have been considered at this stage.

Senator LAMBIE: So let me get this right. You won't be purchasing any that were built with a substandard steel, because they are full of rust. That was between 1985 and 2017. That will give you Block IV, wouldn't it? That would only leave you Block IV and above to purchase. Is that correct? Vice Adm. Mead : As I mentioned before, we haven't decided on which actual submarines. Certainly, the intent

Senator WONG: But they are currently in the process of considering a long-range submarine capability; is that right? Vice Adm. Noonan : My understanding is they are looking at their future submarine capabilities.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: The purpose of the nuclear submarines has been repeatedly said. It's to go well beyond our waters and to be able to project force well beyond— Vice Adm. Hammond : But not necessarily to launch a Tomahawk missile.

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: But, if you're in your own waters, you don't need a nuclear submarine. Vice Adm. Hammond : But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to drive your submarine to within 15 miles of somebody else's coast, if you've got a weapon that goes 1,500 kilometres.

Senator PATERSON: Can you unpack that with a little bit more detail, please, about the advantages of range and stealth of a nuclear powered submarine compared to a conventional diesel or electric submarine? Mr Dewar : Sure, of course. I will note that, for details about submarine capability, I would defer to colleagues at defence who are submariners. The key difference is that conventionally power

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: Admiral Mead, this is a one-and-one-tenth-page advice provided by the Parliamentary Budget Office on the cost of the nuclear-powered submarines. Do you see that? Vice Adm. Mead : I have that document in front of me; it was provided. Thank you very much.

Senator WONG: Saab Kockums? Mr Moriarty : I have not provided a brief to the minister in relation to TKMS or Saab Kockums in relation to submarine matters. The minister recently visited a health facility in Brisbane. That was Saab Australia. We can confirm that. But, no, the department has not provided briefings to the minister on those two companies in relation to submarine matters—to the best of

Senator SHOEBRIDGE: They're intended sea-launched cruise missiles with nuclear weapons on them, and they're intending to put on the Virginia class submarines. You've heard them say that as well? If you haven't heard, you haven't been listening. Adm. Johnston : Yes, I'm aware of that particular weapon and the prospect that the United States is going to develop the capability.

Mr KEOGH ( Burt ) ( 13:33 ): [by video link] Alongside the member for Fremantle, I recently spent 24 hours off the Western Australian coast on HMAS Collins , living overnight, the life of our submariners. It gave us a frontline appreciation of how they live for months on end and of our submarines' strategic capabilities. This was about a week before the AUKUS announcement, and, as is my habit, I w

Senator LAMBIE: I don't mean the teams. I want someone sitting at the table to put their foot down a little harder because, quite frankly, it looks to me like the US is walking all over the top of us. Vice Adm. Mead : We are working with the US to identify what is the best mix of submarines that we transfer to Australia. Vice Adm. Hammond : If I might add, next year it will be 30 years for me sinc

Senator WONG: Vice Chief, I think there have been public comments—it might have been the minister; it might have been someone else; it might have been in one of the documents—that about half of the world's submarines by 2035 will be operating in our region. Is that correct? Vice Adm. Johnston : That's correct.

Senator ROBERTS: What consideration has been given to using nuclear-powered submarines, providing unlimited range—subject to human needs—cleaner running and higher usability? Mr Sammut : I can simply say that it's been the consistent policy of governments in this country that we will not be acquiring a nuclear powered capability submarine.

Senator WONG: Going quickly back to submarines, I want to go to the SPA, but I also want to ask the secretary something. I'm pretty sure I know how you will answer this, but I want to know whether or not there's been any engagement with the Dutch navy on their long-range submarine project. Mr Moriarty : Not to my knowledge. I will ask the Chief of Navy. Vice Adm. Noonan : I have not engaged with t