Australia’s prime minister has cast his government as stronger on national security than the opposition after signing an agreement with the French government to deliver a fleet of submarines and ahead of federal elections expected to be held in May.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison used a speech to Australia’s National Press Club on Monday on the eve of Parliament’s first sitting day of the year to detail his conservative coalition’s record on a range of security issues including military spending, terrorism, asylum seekers, criminals using encrypted communications and domestic violence.
Continue Reading Below
Earlier, Morrison and French Defense Minister Florence Parly signed an agreement of deliver the first of a fleet of 12 submarines to Australia in the early 2030s. French state majority-owned shipbuilder DCNS won the contract in 2016.
