Defence bungled life-extending upgrades to Australia's ageing submarine fleet, tearing up plans for the project after a decade of work worth almost $700 million, a damning audit has found.
The Australian National Audit Office released a report on Friday into the "life-of-type extension" plan for the navy's Collins-class submarines, which the federal government reduced in scope earlier this week.
It found Defence's planning and implementation of the Collins-class extension project did not match "its complexity, risk profile and strategic purpose".
"As a result, substantial further expenditure has been incurred, delays have accumulated and capability risks have remained," the report reads.
The 1980s-designed Collins would have begun retiring from service in 2026 but cancelling the $90 billion French submarine program for the AUKUS deal means Australia won't get new submarines until the early 2030s, if the program runs on time.
