The fleet of patrol boats has been plagued by design flaws,including carbon monoxide leaks,throwing into question whether the vessels can remain at sea.
Fremantle-based Austal Ships,who was the recipient of a Coalition election pledge to build more patrol boats,was last year found to have underpaid foreign workers.
The corporate cop has launched a civil lawsuit against ASX-listed Austal and its former chief executive over allegedly withholding market sensitive information from investors.
Shares in local shipbuilder Austal tanked following the resignation of its US president in the wake of an external investigation that uncovered problems with budgeting and ship components.
Australia’s former law enforcement integrity commissioner,Michael Griffin,travelled to Washington DC in 2019 to personally receive briefings from US authorities about investigations into the shipbuilder.
As a national anti-corruption commission sits on the backburner,the only viable alternative has just taken a big step back from public accountability.
Integrity Commissioner Jaala Hinchcliffe was questioned during a Senate estimates hearing about milestone payments to arms manufacturer Austal.
Austal's boss says a new deal with the US Department of Defence will allow it to open up new areas of work as it develops steel shipbuilding capabilities for the first time.
The company's chief operating officer Patrick Gregg will be promoted to the role from January 1 after a six month transition period.
Listed shipbuilder's boss David Singleton says the push by Asian nations to strengthen their navies over the next decade could generate years of valuable work.
Austal shares tumbled after its hopes of winning a huge US Navy contract were scuttled but the shipbuilder said a new local contract will help it sustain 400 jobs.