The Defense Ministry has been contacted for comment

[himuhumaira]

The Department of Defense and a French military company have racked up nearly $ 250,000 in taxpayer-funded legal fees in an attempt to keep the original price of the French submarine deal secret. Photo: Adam Taylor / PMO
But Independent Senator Rex Patrick told NCA NewsWire he believed the initial cost of the submarine program provided by Naval Group was only a fraction of that price.

“I think the initial price is far from $ 50 billion or $ 90 billion. I think it’s somewhere in the order of $ 20 billion to $ 25 billion, ”he said.

“It is outrageous that the government has spent this amount of money to keep something secret which the Independent Information Commissioner said was essentially using taxpayers’ money to cover up politically embarrassing information.”

In 2020, Australia’s Information Commissioner ordered Defense to release phone number library details of Naval Group’s initial price estimate for the submarine deal.

But the Defense appealed against the Commissioner’s decision, bringing it before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, joined by Naval Group.

In a question on the notice released Tuesday, the Defense revealed that court proceedings for the appeal had totaled nearly $ 250,000 – paid for entirely with taxpayer dollars.

The price of the French submarine project quickly rose from $ 50 billion in 2016 to $ 90 billion in 2020. Photo: BRENDAN ESPOSITO / POOL / AFP.
The price of the French submarine project quickly rose from $ 50 billion in 2016 to $ 90 billion in 2020. Photo: BRENDAN ESPOSITO / POOL / AFP.
Senator Rex Patrick said the government was using taxpayer dollars to hide its own political embarrassment over messing up the submarine deal. Photo: Tricia Watkinson