Australia pledges $2.7b for nuclear submarine shipyard
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday once again rejected opposition's call to ban Palestinians fleeing Gaza from entering Australia
Australia said on Sunday it would spend AUD3.9 billion to progress construction of a shipyard that will help deliver nuclear-powered submarines under the trilateral AUKUS defence pact with the US and Britain.
Announced in 2021, AUKUS is Australia's largest-ever defence investment and will see US-commanded Virginia-class submarines based in Australia from 2027, several Virginia submarines sold to Australia from around 2030, and Britain and Australia building a new class of AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the AUD3.9 billion as a down payment to deliver the new shipyard in Osborne, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia state.
"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 AUD30b "over coming decades", he said.