Payne, Sen Marise

Senator PAYNE (New South Wales—Minister for Defence) (14:52): My consultant Senator Fawcett advises me the answer is no! It is fair to say that a nuclear option is not under consideration, as you would know, for Australia's future submarines; we are more seeking proposals for conventional submarines, through the competitive evaluation process. I have also been advised, quite sternly, by those in the know that our submariners prefer their submarines in black livery only, which, given that a fairly important capability is camouflage and stealth, is quite understandable.