Former submariner and senator Rex Patrick says debate is needed on an East Coast submarine base before a 'Defence fait accompli'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is leading an Australian delegation to the United States where he, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have unveiled the major points of the AUKUS deal.

Australia will command a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines within the next three decades under a fast-tracked plan that will cost up to $368 billion.

In a bid to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, Canberra will acquire three US Virginia-class nuclear submarines as a stop-gap from approximately 2033 before a new SSN AUKUS-class hybrid vessel arrives in Australian waters a decade later.

The cost to taxpayers of the trilateral deal with the US and UK will come in at an eye-watering $268-$368 billion over the coming three decades.

Four American nuclear-powered submarines and one UK vessel will begin rotating through Western Australian naval bases from as early as 2027 to boost Australia's ability to operate its own vessels in the 2030s and 2040s.

Increased visits from US and UK nuclear submarines will also begin from next year.

Shipbuilders in Adelaide and Western Australia will join those in America and Britain in helping construct the new submarines, with shipyard upgrades to begin this year.

In March last year, then prime minister Scott Morrison announced a short-list of three East Coast sites for a new naval base - Newcastle, Port Kembla and Brisbane - but little has been heard about a final choice since the Coalition lost the election, giving Labor carriage of the AUKUS project.

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At the time, the Newcastle Herald reported on previous Defence Department studies that had concluded Port Kembla was unsuitable as a submarine base, and that Brisbane had come last in a list that included Newcastle.

But reports emerged at the weekend that Port Kembla was now the Department of Defence's favoured East Coast base site.

The ABC reported that officials had begun initial scoping work on a site in Port Kembla's outer harbour. It quoted one unnamed Defence official saying the Chinese half-ownership of the Port of Newcastle, as well as its "river approach" had "presented difficulties for the site".

The Chinese share of the port had been raised this time last year by then-senator Patrick, who said it would "have to go" if Newcastle was to be a subs base.

The Newcastle Herald's Australian Community Media sibling the Illawarra Mercury has been told that a final base decision is unlikely to be announced until the end of this year.

Previous studies had identified a shortage of suitable land at Port Kembla and port operator NSW Ports recently announced plans to use prime outer harbour land to house a wind farm support base - in a similar fashion to the Port of Newcastle using former steelworks land at Mayfield to house imported wind turbine parts.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Patrick said the time to debate the site of an East Coast base was now - before any announcement was made - rather than after the federal government and Defence had unveiled what would become a fait accompli.

Since leaving parliament, Mr Patrick has launched a business helping people to navigate Freedom of Information applications, calling himself the "Transparency Warrior".

"Some things need to be operationally secret but the location of a submarine base is not one of them," Mr Patrick said.

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