Since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's speech to the Lowy Institute on Monday announcing that Port Kembla, Newcastle and Brisbane were in the running to be the location for Australia's future nuclear submarine base, a verbal battle has broken out between the government and opposition.
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Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who has been a long supporter of moving naval facilities to Port Kembla, called upon her Labor counterparts to make their position clear on the prospect of a submarine base in Port Kembla.
"I have been grateful for the bipartisan support of my Labor colleagues to date and I hope that continues," Mrs Fierravanti-Wells said.
"I'd be very interested now to see the reaction most especially of my parliamentary colleague Ms [Fiona] Phillips."
Kiama state MP Gareth Ward also joined in the chorus, goading local Labor MPs to take a position on the proposed naval base.
"It seems Illawarra Labor has done a 'deep dive' on the issue of subs in our region. Not a single Labor MP has said a word about such an incredible opportunity for our region," Mr Ward said.
Labor spokespeople have said that local MPs do not have anything to say, seeing as the Mr Morrison said there would be no final decision before the election.
Speaking to local radio in Adelaide as reports of the proposal emerged on Sunday night, Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the party had not been briefed on the announcement and noted the bipartisan support for the nuclear submarine deal negotiated between Australia, the UK and the US.
On the hustings in the Hunter, Labor MPs Tanya Plibersek and Sharon Claydon criticised the government's handling of submarine contracts, with hundreds of millions spent when the government dropped an agreement with France for locally-made, conventionally powered submarines.
Mr Albanese will address the Lowy Institute on Thursday.
Former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who signed off on the French deal, told ABC radio that the AUKUS agreement was an "abandonment of sovereignty".
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