Plans to build a new nuclear-submarine base along Australia's east coast have been branded as a pork-barrelling exercise ahead of the federal election.
A new submarine base for new nuclear-powered vessels as part of the AUKUS alliance has been proposed to be built at either Brisbane, Newcastle or Port Kembla, with initial work to be completed by the end of 2023.
However, independent senator and former submariner Rex Patrick said the plan was nothing more than a way trying to buy votes in marginal electorates.
"It's been picked for pork-barrelling reasons, it's a pre-election announcement that offers the prospect of jobs and economic activity," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
"Obviously, the (submarine base) is a nice carrot for anyone that might be consider voting for the Coalition."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement about the potential submarine base locations during a major foreign policy address on Monday.
The three sites were short-listed after reviewing 19 options for a location.
But Senator Patrick said neither of the three options were suitable, highlighting concerns of pork barrelling.
"The three options that he picked were scored very low in the analysis," he said.
"The first cab off the rank, or the best city for a future submarine on the east coast, was Sydney, followed by Jervis Bay."
Senator Patrick warned defence capability would suffer, should politics get in the way of the issue.
Prime Minister Morrison on Monday said no decision would be made about where the submarine base would be built before the federal election.
The election is due to be held by May 21 at the latest.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the nuclear-submarine deal with the United States and United Kingdom was going well.
"We can achieve the submarine capability well before the 2040s, I still very much hold to that," he told the Nine Network on Tuesday
"It's always been the plan that during the course of the 18 months, we would make an announcement on which submarine we're going with, and then the balance of the 18 months would be talking about all of the detail of delivering it."
