Labor has accused Peter Dutton of “rank politics” and undermining the Aukus agreement for revealing he planned to buy US nuclear submarines to fill a looming capability gap.
The deputy prime minister and defence minister, Richard Marles, made the comments in response to Dutton calling on Labor to implement a plan he devised before the election to buy two Virginia-class submarines by 2030.
In September 2021 Australia tore up a $90bn submarine contract with France to instead acquire nuclear submarine technology from the US or the UK as part of the new Aukus alliance.
The deal created a looming capability gap, requiring the Collins class submarines to be upgraded and their life extended until the first nuclear-propelled submarines could be made in Australia by the late 2030s.
On Thursday Dutton wrote in the Australian newspaper that he “believed it possible to negotiate with the Americans to acquire, say, the first two submarines off the production line out of Connecticut”.
“This wouldn’t mean waiting until 2038 for the first submarine to be built here in Australia,” he wrote. “We would have our first two subs this decade. I had formed a judgment the Americans would have facilitated exactly that.”
The comments are controversial because Australia is yet to decide whether to opt for US or UK nuclear submarines.
Marles said Dutton’s intervention was “rank politics and is completely inconsistent with everything Peter Dutton was doing and saying in government”.
“This outburst today, from someone so recently in the [defence minister’s] chair, is damaging to Australia’s national interest,” he told Guardian Australia. “The comments are loose and undermine the Aukus agreement.”
“The government has made no decision on the preferred submarine. All options remain on the table.”
Marles argued that the Coalition in opposition was highlighting its “ability to talk tough and beat their chest without delivering”.
Earlier, Dutton confirmed on 2GB radio that he believed the Coalition would have been in a position by July or August to announce the conclusion of consultation about which submarine to buy.
Dutton said he was “worried” that Labor were “walking away from Aukus, from the submarine deal”.
Dutton accused the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, of “ill-informed” language that didn’t reflect advice to government “that you couldn’t have diesel-powered submarines really working in some parts where it needs to work off the shores of our country … beyond 2035”.
“If Labor thinks there’s a cheap option here to build a new diesel electric submarine … then I think that’s folly and it just worries me.”
Dutton also weighed in on the high court’s decision that the home affairs minister’s power to strip dual nationals of Australian citizenship for engaging in suspected terrorist activities was invalid.
The Liberal leader said the Albanese government had to respond “as a matter of urgency” and the opposition would support recalling parliament earlier than 26 July if changes to legislation were needed.
Labor has played down the need for any changes, as only two people will get their citizenship back as a result of the decision, the plaintiff Delil Alexander, and one other.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has also cited other powers to prevent risks from Australian citizens suspected of terrorism including temporary exclusion orders and control orders.
Dutton also warned ahead of New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s trip to Australia that Labor’s election victory could result in a decrease in the number of visa cancellations on character grounds.
The Coalition in office “deported about 10,100 people of these criminals and we know that when Labor was in government … they did about 1,100”, he told 2GB radio.
“Now the numbers will drop off again, no doubt under this government.
“I understand why New Zealand wouldn’t want them back, but they’re citizens of New Zealand, the UK and elsewhere … If Anthony Albanese tries to wind [deportations] back, I think that would be a devastating outcome.”
