Peter Dutton has accused Karl Stefanovic of being “provocative” as the Defence Minister defends his government’s submarine program and the AUKUS agreement.
Mr Dutton hit out at the Today host on Tuesday morning after coming under fire for Australia not being better prepared to deal with “current threats”, considering the nuclear submarines acquired through the AUKUS agreement will not be in the waters for decades.
The rising threat of China and Russia, and the scrapping of the French submarine deal in favour of acquiring nuclear vessels from either the US or the UK, has left Australia vulnerable to “unprecedented threats”.
Stefanovic asked Mr Dutton: “What happens to Australia over the next 15 years while we’re facing these threats? What are we doing to shore up things apart from nuclear subs that will be 20 years away?”
“They’re not 20 years away. You’re being very provocative this morning,” Mr Dutton said in response.
“When you look at what we’ve done in AUKUS, it’s not just the subs … It’s the alliances we’re forming, it’s about being with strong and powerful friends who share our values so we can stare down any aggressor.
“We do have a very uncertain set of circumstances, and we need to deter that because our country … wants peace.”
Mr Dutton also hit back at “mischief making” reports he and Prime Minister Scott Morrison are at odds over Australia’s multibillion-dollar nuclear submarine deal after the pair released contradictory statements about the procurement of submarines under the AUKUS agreement.
Just a day after Mr Dutton claimed a decision on who would supply the nuclear-powered submarines would be made within “months”, Mr Morrison emphatically ruled out any decision being made before the election.
Mr Dutton had initially said Australia would acquire capability “much sooner” than the expected 18 month timeline.
He defended himself again on Tuesday morning, saying that the 18-month timeframe of discussions with the UK and the US has been “unbelievably productive”.
“It’s always been the plan that during the course of the 18 months we would make an announcement on which submarine we’re going with, and then the balance of the 18 months would be talking about all of the detail of delivering it,” he said.
“We’re not far off that phase. I made the point within the next … few months. I didn’t say it would be before the election. (Some) have tried to spin it into that, but that’s not the case.
“It is not an election issue, and we are not making it an election issue. It’s too important for that. That’s frankly people making mischief.
“I’ve said that we can achieve the submarine capability well before the 2040s. I still very much hold to that, but there’s a lot of work to do.”
The program itself is being called into question for “pork barrelling” after the government revealed that of the 19 locations picked as potential sites for the submarine base by a Defence review, Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla were short-listed.
Independent senator Rex Patrick said none of those sites were appropriate for the program, and the government was “playing politics” with Australia’s Defence capabilities.
“(The Port of Newcastle) has been picked … I think … for pork-barrelling reasons,” Senator Patrick told Radio National.
“It’s a pre-election announcement that offers the prospect of jobs and economic activity, and it was beautifully played in the context that there wasn’t just one site that was announced.
“I think it’s a most ambitious project, and it’s riddled with politics. And we know that when politics gets in the way, Defence capability generally suffers … And that leads to negative national security outcomes.”
