PM speech: New $10b nuclear submarine base to built on Australia's east coast

While in quarantine with COVID-19, Mr Morrison will also warn "Australia faces its most difficult and dangerous security environment in 80 years" in a major foreign policy virtual address to the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

The plan for a new east coast submarine base comes as a support to the deal announced last September with allies the United Kingdom and United States which led to the dumping of a $90 billion submarine contract with France.

It would strategically place a nuclear sub base on either side of Australia, servicing the Pacific Ocean with the new base and the Indian Ocean HMAS Stirling (Fleet Base West) in Western Australia which has been home to the outdated Collins Class submarines.

Three preferred locations on the east coast identified by Defence are Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla.

In excerpts of the Lowy speech seen by The Canberra Times, the Prime Minister cites the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a reminder that, although Australia's focus is the Indo-Pacific, "events anywhere can affect our security."

"The decision to establish an east coast submarine base has been many years in the making as part of our transition from Collins," he is expected to say.

"However, the government has now determined that, to support our decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, establishing a second submarine base on our east coast will enhance our strategic deterrent capability, with significant advantages in operational, training, personnel and industrial terms.

An optimal east coast base would provide homeported submarines with specialised wharfs, maintenance facilities, administrative and logistics support, personnel amenities, and suitable accommodation for submarine crews and support staff. It would also enable the regular visiting of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines."

Mr Morrison says the new base, as proposed, would add defence capacity to the Collins-class fleet based at HMAS Stirling (Fleet Base West) in West Australia.

The government says the base does not relocate any existing or planned future capacity for Fleet Base West and it will remain home to current and future submarines.

Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla have been pinpointed as close to sufficient industrial infrastructure, close to large population centres for workforce needs and reasonably proximate to primary maritime training and operational areas; to deep water; and to weapons storage and loading facilities.

Defence has been authorised to immediately engage with the NSW and Queensland governments as well as relevant local governments and authorities to begin negotiations.

Describing it as an "enormous undertaking," Mr Morrison says the initial work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

"Defence has not constructed a major new base since Robertson Barracks in the 1990s," he is expected to say.

"Construction of a new east coast submarine base would be a larger undertaking and the largest infrastructure investment in the Integrated Investment Program. Based on early estimates, we have provisioned more than $10 billion to meet the facilities and infrastructure requirements for the transition from Collins to the future nuclear-powered submarines."

The Prime Minister will again condemn Russia's "abhorrent actions" in invading Ukraine in the strongest possible terms, "as a gross violation of international law and an assault on freedom."

He is also to praise the resistance of Ukraine and invoke concerns about China in warning of the broader challenge to world order and Australia's national security response.

"Australia faces its most difficult and dangerous security environment in 80 years," Mr Morrison is to say.

"There is a wider lesson here for Western liberal democracies as we come face to face with brutal, autocratic aggression and coercion. We must stand together," he is to say.

"We cannot afford the pettiness of small differences to infect our relations and our long-term cooperation. Our adversaries will ruthlessly look to exploit this."