The Albanese government has thrown their support behind building Australia’s first military base in three decades on the east coast.
A part of the AUKUS security pact with the US and UK, the east cost base option would see half the new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines berthed at a Western Port Bay site.
Estimated infrastructure costs of $10bn would be shared with AUKUS partners with the base to host increased visits by US and UK craft.
Defence Minister Richard Marles told News Corp Australia experts involved in designing the east coast base option remained adamant of its strategic need in the region.
“The (Defence) experts have said it is important, that’s what’s in our mind and so that is an important observation that that is what we are imaging,” Mr Marles told News Corp.
“I think it is really important that we allow the force-posture/force-structure review to do its work and so there is a degree to which I want to let that review do its work but we are a two ocean nation and we are going to need to make sure that we have an ability to operate right around the nation.”
– Mr Marles
The Defence are reviewing various sites including Western Port Bay in Victoria, Port Kembla, Jervis Bay and Newcastle in NSW through to Brisbane and Gladstone in Queensland.
It comes after the Federal Government established a defence strategic review to ensure Australia ‘has the right capabilities that are postured to meet the growing strategic challenges that Australia and its partner countries will face in the world in coming years’.
Source: Triple M