The battle between Port Kembla, Newcastle or Brisbane to be home to an east coast naval base is not even close to being won.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles addressed the media this morning after the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine announcement was made over in the United States with the US President, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his counterpart in Britain Rishi Sunak.
Last year, the former Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that as part of that deal, a naval base would be built on the east coast to help support the project.
He put forward three options including Newcastle.
There has been speculation ever since about where the base would be, but all of that was hosed down by the Deputy Prime Minister today.
“I’m aware that there has been a lot of conjecture about this particularly in certain parts of the east coast,
“Let me say this, everybody who is engaged in that conjecture needs to take a very deep breath, this is a long way into the future.
“There is no decision on an east coast base that formed part of the decision that we have announced today.
“It is the case that the former government announced the need for an east coast base but we are taking our time and all of that is a long way into the future,” Richard Marles said.