Submarine partnership gets auditor's tick

Defence did not put a foot wrong in choosing French shipbuilder DCNS to design a new fleet of submarines, the auditor-general has found.

The national audit office has run a fine tooth comb over the selection of an international partner to design replacements for the Navy's six Collins Class submarines, which will be withdrawn from service by 2036.

"Defence effectively designed and implemented a competitive evaluation process to select an international partner for the Future Submarine program," the auditor-general said in a report released Thursday, opting not to hand down any recommendations.