Submarine deal: Successful bid for new Royal Australian Navy boats to be announced next week

The Federal Government is preparing to announce the successful bidder for Australia's next fleet of submarines next week, ahead of the May 3 budget.The ABC understands Cabinet's National Security Committee discussed submarines last night.It is believed either France or Germany is the frontrunner to build a new fleet to

replace the Royal Australian Navy's ageing Collins Class subs.This morning Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was not prepared to confirm whether the decision would be announced prior to the election.

"It will be made in due course, it will be made shortly," he told Adelaide radio station FIVEaa."I'm not going to be drawn on dates."

The South Australian campaign to secure the submarine construction work for the state has been underway for about two years, Premier Jay Weatherill said yesterday.

Earlier this year the Defence White Paper revealed the Government planned to order 12 new vessels as part of its future submarine program.

Companies from Japan, Germany and France have been vying for the contract with various proposals about where and how much of the boats will be built in Australia.

Mr Weatherill said a submarine announcement would be needed before the election to help Liberal Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Christopher Pyne retain the SA seat of Sturt at the federal election.

"I hope Christopher and the team are able to get that organised before the federal election is announced because I think it would be politically suicidal for him not to do so," Mr Weatherill said.

The Liberals need to commit to building the next generation of submarines in Adelaide to avoid a potential voting backlash at the looming federal poll, a politics analyst said.

Professor in politics and international studies Carol Johnson, of the University of Adelaide, said there were electoral risks for the Liberals if Adelaide did not fare well from the submarines project.

"The problem is that the submarines are not only important for their build but also because of some of the high-tech components in it, so potentially it will still be damaging to the Liberals if they just have the ship build [offshore patrol vessels] and not the submarines as well," she said.