Defence was working on a plan before the election to purchase two Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US by 2030 – at least a decade before their scheduled arrival if they were built in Australia, according to a report in The Australian newspaper.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who was defence minister three weeks ago, says he came to the view that the American submarine was the best option for Australia, and believes the US government would sell Australia the boats off its Connecticut production line.
