Defence Minister Peter Dutton has flagged the arrival of Australia's first nuclear-powered submarines earlier than officials have said.
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Mr Dutton said the new nuclear submarines Australia was looking to acquire would not be pushed out into the late 2040s.
"I know there has been speculation about dates out into late 2040s, but that is not going to be the case," he told reporters, standing in front of a UK nuclear-powered Astute class submarine in Western Australia.
"There is just no hesitation from our partners about making sure we can get this capability as quickly as possible."
The Astute class submarine docked at the Stirling naval base on Friday.
Mr Dutton and the UK High Commissioner Vicki Treadell used the opportunity to laud the relationship between the two nations and reinforce their commitment to regional security in the Pacific.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he wants a boat in the water by the end of the next decade but defence officials before Senate estimates on Wednesday appeared to cast some doubt on that timeline.
Defence secretary Greg Moriarty said early 2040s "was (not) a date we are putting particular weight on".
Officials said it was their preference that a boat be operational earlier.
Mr Moriarty remained silent when asked whether the prime minister's timeline was informed by departmental advice or was a political statement.
The government has set aside $300 million for a nuclear-powered submarine task force to identify the best way to acquire at least eight of the submarines from either the US or UK.
The task force will spend the next 18 months reviewing options and will deliver its advice to cabinet in early 2023.
"Every discussion is targeted around how we can achieve the capability as soon as possible," Mr Dutton said.
A number of leaders in the region have expressed concern about the technology partnership between Australia, the US and UK known as AUKUS.
Australian Associated Press
