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Australian voters are unlikely to be told the full cost of scrapping the French submarine deal before the election, with Peter Dutton signalling the negotiations will not be wrapped up until after July.

The defence minister said on Monday the talks with France’s Naval Group would “take some time” and the information would not be released publicly until after those figures were settled.

With Australia’s election campaign in full swing, caretaker conventions require the government to avoid entering major contracts or undertakings except after consulting the opposition.

“It’ll be after the election – it will take some time,” Dutton told reporters in Adelaide.

“What happens in a commercial negotiation is that if the other side knows that you have got a hard deadline, then they will hold you over a barrel.”

He backed away from previous suggestions it could be before the end of this financial year, saying that would “likely not” be achieved.

Tony Dalton, a deputy secretary of the Department of Defence, had previously told a Senate estimates hearing he was “working towards” finalising the settlement with Naval Group this financial year.

Dalton had also expected a related settlement with Lockheed Martin Australia – the US-linked company that had been contracted to supply the combat system – by the end of April.

The Labor party supports the Aukus partnership with the US and the UK, including plans for Australia to build nuclear-propelled submarines. But the cost of the U-turn has become a matter of significant political contention in the run-up to the 21 May election.

The shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has brushed off questions about funding for Labor’s own spending commitments by calling the Morrison government “the most wasteful government in the history of our federation”.

“If you want to talk about mismanagement of money … let’s talk about $5.5bn wasted on submarines that will never be built,” Chalmers said on Saturday.

READ MORE:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/18/australians-unlikely-to-know-cost-of-scrapped-submarines-until-after-election-peter-dutton-says?

ScoMo is smirking at the number of carpark he could have virtually built around the country with 5 billion dollars of rorts — all car parks with a prayer room named after him...

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