Former prime minister Tony Abbott has urged the Turnbull Government to consider purchasing US nuclear submarines to maintain a military edge in the Pacific.
Speaking to a Sydney thinktank, the Centre for Independent Studies, Mr Abbott cast doubt on the strength of the 12 submarines that will be constructed in Australia under a contract with French manufacturer DCNS.
Mr Abbott said the Shortfin Barracuda may not be available until the 2030s and would have "less power, less speed, less capability" than the nuclear French submarine on which it is based.
He said a reluctance to embrace nuclear submarine technology was one of the "biggest regrets" of his prime ministership, but said "if something's worth doing, it's worth doing late".
"I worry that a decade or so hence - maybe sooner - Australia might face a security crisis in our region and find that governments of yesterday, and today, had left their successors with inadequate means to deal with it," Mr Abbott said.
He said the challenges of the Pacific and the tension in the South China Sea required powerful, long-range submarines, and listed some of the countries in the region that were bolstering their fleets, including China, Indonesia and India.
The former PM said the French design process should continue, but made the case for a nuclear Plan B that could be developed in parallel.
"I'm not saying that we must go nuclear, but I am saying that we should at least consider the option before the opportunity is lost for another several decades," he said.
Mr Abbott said he was confident a domestic military nuclear industry to supply fuel for the submarines could be cultivated in around a decade.
He said military purchases should prioritise cost and effectiveness over a desire to create local jobs, so the nuclear submarines could be purchased from the United States.
Mr Abbott lamented that military policy was "not nearly as significant to the people who shape our national conversation", referring to the press, as "whether Person X or Person Y currently has his or her nose ahead in the latest leadership brouhaha."
Mr Abbott has recently been vocal in criticising senior cabinet minister Christopher Pyne over his recently leaked comments on same-sex marriage and the dominance of moderate Liberals in key leadership positions.
Earlier in the week, he gave a speech outlining the policies he would prefer the Coalition take to the next election.
Christopher Pyne apologised for his comments on Wednesday evening, saying he was "very sorry" to cause "such a distraction for the government".
"My remarks were ill chosen and unwise and I can see how unhelpful and damaging they have been," Mr Pyne said.
Labor says nuclear option 'isn't realistic'
Labor MP Richard Marles released a statement, saying the opposition was committed to the local build.
"Australia doesn't have a domestic nuclear industry, so this just isn't realistic," Mr Marles wrote.
But in his speech, Mr Abbott took the unusual step of praising Labor, expressing his hope that Bill Shorten would consider supporting the idea.
"I am confident that at least under the current Labor leadership it would get a fair hearing," Mr Abbott said.
"Labor has actually been stronger than the government on the assertion of freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea."
Mr Abbott said a local nuclear industry to support the submarines could materialise relatively quickly, like it did in the field of nuclear medical research.
