"Plus of course geopolitics has moved on; nobody would even consider invading us now"

I'm sure hope Vlad reads this advice and ceases his pranks, oh, and the Chinese in the SCS. Invasion is so yesterday!

Wouldn't take much for the Chinese to chomp off north-western Australia for a food-bowl and mineral supply. China's SCS exploits set the platform for future dominance over the region, and within the lifetime of our children.

Luciferase Our traitor politicians would probably just sell it to them if they offered enough money and kickback.

Aidan
I doubt the main purpose for $50 Billion dollar submarines is to listen to communications, low orbit satellites can do that and are harder to to find than a sub. Even Pine gap has been doing that for years.

Luciferase,
It may have escaped your attention, but Australia is not in the SCS.

I didn't say nobody would ever consider invading anybody now. We're still at the stage where despots consider invading countries whose land their country has a historical claim on (however dubious that claim is). But China has never had any territorial ambitions in Australia. Nor has Russia, which is really only interested in former Soviet territory.

China may want to dominate South East Asa, but we're not in South East Asia.
China has no ambition to invade, no reason to invade (they can buy stuff from NW WA at far less than the cost of invading) and every reason not to invade (it would undoubtedly trigger international sanctions devastating the Chinese economy).
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Philip S,

I understand that to be their main purpose, and if it isn't then I very much doubt it's worth having submarines at all.

But this is one of the very few things the public must be kept in the dark on for security reasons. We can not know whether our submarines are getting good value for money, nor what our exact requirements are.

China has no ambition to invade, no reason to invade (they can buy stuff from NW WA at far less than the cost of invading
Aidan,
The Chinese have long ago found Australia's weakest Link the $ & they're exploiting it to the fullest.

//Nuclear is the only weapon that would give us any real deterrent.//

Hassy, taking a leaf out of Kim Jong-un book. Nuclear proliferation, just what we need. Who said you were such a Hasbeen.