Scott Morrison backs new AUKUS plan, urges Australia not to ‘surrender’ to doubt

Former prime minister Scott Morrison has backed the move to buy only second-hand submarines from the United States, rather than a mix of new and old vessels as originally planned, as he called for Anthony Albanese to do more to sell the benefits of AUKUS to the public.

The Defence Department boss, navy chief and senior Albanese government ministers said it was always Australia’s preference to acquire three in-service Virginia-class submarines from the US, a claim lampooned by the Coalition and the Greens.

Morrison – who created the AUKUS pact with his American and British counterparts in 2021 – said he was relaxed about the decision to no longer acquire a new and upgraded Virginia-class submarine from 2038, as was announced in late 2023.

“I can see the case for simplifying things by sticking with the same platform, I understand that,” Morrison told this masthead.

“There will be no real diminution of the ultimate capability.”

He said it was important to remember the Virginia-class boats were intended to be a bridging capability until the arrival of the new SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines Australia is designing with the UK and plans to build in Adelaide.

“AUKUS is not the Virginias. It is an important part of AUKUS but not AUKUS itself,” he said.

Morrison reiterated his calls for Albanese to do more to explain the strategic rationale for AUKUS as a counterweight to China’s growing military might in Asia, rather than its benefits to the local manufacturing sector, to ensure the public does not lose support for the project.

“The purpose of AUKUS is to provide a strategic deterrent in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

“It’s not a jobs program, it’s a strategic program to deter a potential adversary and opponent. When you can’t explain that it becomes hard to sell.”

He said he understood the debate about AUKUS’s merits, but was worried about a sense of defeatism among some AUKUS critics.

“Let’s not surrender because we think we’re not up to it. We have to be careful not to talk down Australia,” he said.

Navy chief Mark Hammond told Senate estimates hearings on Tuesday night: “From a sustainment perspective, it is much more efficient to maintain three platforms of the same configuration baseline.

“It means you only need one training system, one supply chain. It’s much more efficient.”

He added: “From a capability manager’s perspective, simplification is my friend. So three of the same platform is a better outcome than a mix of platforms.”

Newly appointed Defence Department secretary Meghan Quinn said: “Australia’s position is that we would always