Arguably the biggest submarine program in the Western world outside of the United States, Australia’s submarine development continues to raise concerns about cost. ASPI’s Michael Shoebridge and Marcus Hellyer examine the outcomes of the recent Senate estimates hearings in relation to the underwater program, and what the life-of-type upgrades mean for the submarine’s future.

ASPI’s Mapping China’s Tech Giants ^[1] project provides an overview of the global impact of Chinese technology companies. Tom Uren is joined by Fergus Ryan and Daria Impiombato for a discussion on how US sanctions have impacted the growth of these organisations, and how the Chinese Communist Party’s political influence creates privacy concerns.

In a conversation on nation-building, ASPI’s John Coyne and Gill Savage discuss how Australia can rethink its approach to infrastructure in a post-Covid-19 environment. Using the Port of Townsville as an example ^[2], they discuss how greater cooperation between regional, state and national governments can achieve economic, social and environmental prosperity.