Defence is deciding on a site to build a new submarine base to support a future nuclear-powered fleet. 

Australia currently has a fleet of six Collin-class subs, which are based at Perth's HMAS Stirling (Fleet Base West) and often operate out of Sydney's Garden Island Naval base (Fleet Base East).

But with plans to purchase nuclear-powered subs that Australia currently does not have the capacity to maintain, a new site is needed. 

Reports say Port Kembla in the New South Wales city of Wollongong has been put forth as a preferred option by the Defence Department to cabinet's National Security Committee. 

It is part of what Defence expects to be a $10 billion spend on new facilities and infrastructure for the transition from Collins submarines to the future nuclear-powered fleet.

There has been significant doubt about whether the government can get the new subs anytime soon, but Defence Minister Peter Dutton claims the first of the submarines could be acquired “much sooner” than 2040.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese says federal Labor has not been briefed on the submarine proposal, including its potential impact on the submarine industry in Adelaide.

“In today’s drop to the newspapers, I was looking for the word ‘Adelaide’ anywhere, given that Adelaide has really suffered substantially by the government’s decision,” Mr Albanese said. 

“There were immediate job losses there, and I couldn’t find [Adelaide] anywhere in the announcement … but we have not received the courtesy of a briefing in advance, so therefore, I’m not going to sign off automatically on that detail.”

Meanwhile, former PM Malcolm Turnbull says scrapping a previous French agreement and buying new submarines as part of the AUKUS deal is an “abandonment of sovereignty”.

“It’s going to result in us having nuclear submarines, if it ever comes to pass, that we not only can’t build, can’t maintain and will not be able to operate on our own,” Mr Turnbull said.

“It’s exactly the worst thing that we should be doing in the face of the threats we face.

“We are literally on the eve of an election, and rushing decisions which are meant to take 18 months into a six-month timeframe to save an election is just as transparently political.

“It makes us less self reliant and it undermines our national security.”