Albanese said his message to critics of the AUKUS alliance was that Australia needed the nuclear-powered submarines to be chosen early next year after a working group advises on the best options from the US and UK.

“My answer is that the defence strategic review that’s being undertaken by Angus Houston and Stephen Smith is,in the interim report,very much talking about the need for self-reliance,the need to recognise that what was thought to be a 10-year window of a warning for any potential military conflict has been narrowed,that we need to make sure that our defence assets are fit for purpose,” he said.

“Now,our defence assets need to not be about fighting a land war defending western Queensland because that is highly unlikely,but a lot of our assets are not really the ones that we necessarily need for this century and for the times — and also their location as well.”

Albanese said the US alliance was critical for Australia and the AUKUS agreement was part of strengthening that relationship.

“The advice very clearly that we received at the time that[AUKUS] decision was made,and why we gave support in principle to it,but since then,as well,the obviously much more detailed briefings that we have had to indicate that nuclear submarines for a range of reasons,for how long they can stay underwater,for their detectability,for their operability,the way they operate,are the assets that we need.

“And that’s why we’re making that decision in Australia’s national interest. Yes,it’s about our relationships with the United States and the UK,two important relationships that go back a long way,but we are also very confident that in all of these decisions that we’re making,it’s about Australia’s national interest,and our capacity to make sure that we can defend ourselves.”

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