Defence boss says Australia always wanted only second-hand US submarines

The new head of the Defence Department has insisted Australia always wanted to buy three second-hand submarines from the United States, rather than acquire a new vessel as was originally agreed under the AUKUS plan.

The AUKUS defence ministers announced over the weekend that Australia would no longer acquire a new and upgraded Virginia-class submarine from the US, prompting former Labor cabinet minister Ed Husic to break ranks and call for a rethink of the plan.

Husic’s intervention in a caucus meeting on Tuesday came as former Labor minister Peter Garrett and former defence force chief Chris Barrie announced they would lead a crowd-funded inquiry into AUKUS, labelling the $368 billion project “controversial and secretive”.

Speaking at Senate estimates hearings on Tuesday night, newly appointed Defence Department secretary Meghan Quinn said: “Australia’s position is that we would always have a preference for three in-service [submarines].”

Under questioning by opposition defence secretary James Paterson, Quinn, appointed to the job in April, said: “There are many reasons why three in-service would be simpler [and] lower cost through the training of staff, the sustainment arrangements, the maintenance requirements and all of those considerations.”

“Now we are supposed to believe it was actually always our preference to get three ‘in service’ submarines. This demands serious explanation.”

Labor sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, agreed with Quinn that Australia’s original preference was for three submarines of the same type, even if the senior Pentagon official and AUKUS sceptic Elbridge Colby also pushed for this in a secretive review he conducted last year.

Earlier in the day, Husic, who served as industry minister until he was demoted to the backbench in a reshuffle last May, joined calls for the government to develop a “plan B” in case the promised submarines do not arrive as promised.

“You do wonder whether or not we will get the deal, even the reconfigured one that we have got,” Husic told reporters at Parliament House.

Earlier, during Labor’s caucus meeting, he questioned whether the original caucus vote on AUKUS was valid given the changes to the scheme.

“That deal versus what we’ve got now are different,” Husic said.

“I think that it now gives us a moment to think about whether or not the deal should be reconfigured, or what are the contingencies.”

Asking “what’s the plan B?” Husic said he was concerned sluggish American submarine production rates meant the US would not have any to spare for Australia.

“You’ve seen within th