![]() ![]() ![]() “We chose not to go through a gate in a contract,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters when he arrived in New York on Monday. Government ministers said this week Canberra had been “upfront” with Paris about the problems.Ī French lawmaker also raised questions in the country’s parliament in June about Australian concerns over delays, and whether Australia might be considering submarine alternatives, French government records show. “They would have to have their eyes shut not to realize the danger they were facing,” said Rex Patrick, an independent senator for South Australia, referring to France. In June the defense secretary told parliament “contingency planning” for the program was underway. Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter had advised Australia to look at alternatives to the French submarine, and questioned whether the project was in the national interest, a 2020 public report from the country’s Auditor-General shows.Īustralian parliamentary hearings and reports on the project, first priced at $40 billion and more recently at $60 billion, even before construction had begun, also showed problems emerging. Yet as early as September 2018, an independent oversight board led by a former U.S. and Britain rather than stick with its contract for French diesel submarines. Paris has recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington, saying it was blindsided by Canberra’s decision to build nuclear-powered submarines with the U.S. By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) France shouldn’t have been surprised that Australia canceled a submarine contract, as major concerns about delays, cost overruns, and suitability had been aired officially and publicly for years, Australian politicians said. ![]()
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