This paper proposes that the cost of AUKUS is unknown. From the available estimates, it appears that the cost will average in the low tens of billions each year. The paper concludes that the AUKUS submarine deal has not been justified; it is for the Government to explain how it will be paid for.

Australia relies on the Collins class submarines as a core element of its maritime defence capability. A Life of Type Extension (LOTE) is required to maintain submarine capability and availability until Australia transitions to a future nuclear‑powered submarine fleet under AUKUS. This audit reviews the effectiveness of planning and implementation of the LOTE project to...

A capable sovereign submarine capability is a core requirement for Australia’s defence over the next two decades, and there are known risks that could prevent that happening. This report proposes that Australia should explore the backup option of leasing or acquiring advanced conventional submarine capability from Japan.

This strategy identifies the conditions to develop the sovereign industrial capability needed to deliver, operate and sustain future conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while also ensuring Australia's existing Collins class submarines are sustained and upgraded until their eventual withdrawal from service. The strategy sets out five critical lines of effort to boost Australian industry uplift.

The AUKUS program to deliver eight nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarines to Australia is a large, technologically challenging, and industrially demanding venture that has been widely criticised. This report addresses each of those critiques and concludes that some concerns are warranted but others have been ill-informed or driven by outdated assumptions.