Australia will spend A$3.9bn to build a new shipyard for AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, marking a major step in the trilateral defence pact with the U.S. and Britain.
Speaking on Sunday (14 February), Albanese said the funding would go towards developing the facility at Osborne in South Australia, a key site for constructing and maintaining the future submarine fleet under the security agreement unveiled in 2021. Announced in 2021, AUKUS is Australia’s largest-ever defence investment.
Under the agreement, U.S.-commanded Virginia-class submarines will be based in Australia from 2027, several will be sold to Canberra from around 2030, and a new class of nuclear-powered submarines will be jointly built by Britain and Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the A$3.9 billion as a down payment to deliver the new shipyard in Osborne, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia.
"Investing in the submarine construction yard at Osborne is critical to delivering Australia's conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines," Albanese said in a statement.
Official projections put the total cost of the build at A$30bn over the coming decades, he said.
Osborne is where Australia's ASC and Britain's BAE Systems will jointly build Australia's fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, the core component of the AUKUS pact.
Until that work begins later this decade, the shipyard is where much of the maintenance on the country's existing Collins-class submarine fleet is carried out.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said the down payment would be spent on building the enabling infrastructure for the shipyard.
"This is just the beginning," Malinauskas said in a statement.
In December, a Pentagon review of the AUKUS project found areas of opportunity to put the deal on the "strongest possible footing," including ensuring that Australia is moving fast enough to build its nuclear submarine capacity.
The Munich Security Conference concludes on Sunday (15 February) with discussions centred on Europe’s role in an increasingly unstable global landsc...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 15th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
Australia will spend A$3.9bn to build a new shipyard for AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, marking a ma...
Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday (14 February) they are convinced that late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poi...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks ...
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the leader of Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, would be coming for a visit to see him soon.
American figure skating star Ilia Malinin endured a dramatic collapse in the men’s free skate on Friday night, falling twice and tumbling out of medal contention at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov surged to a surprise gold medal.
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U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
Dubai-based global ports operator DP World said on Friday that its long-serving chairman and chief executive, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, has stepped down following mounting pressure linked to alleged ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking at Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha calls for decisive steps ahead of expected Geneva talks
The Munich Security Conference concludes on Sunday (15 February) with discussions centred on Europe’s role in an increasingly unstable global landscape, including security coordination, economic competitiveness and the protection of democratic values.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 15th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday (14 February) they are convinced that late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin in a Russian penal colony two years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks in Geneva appeared to be an attempt to delay progress.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
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