It was the Hawke labor gov, that started the Collins class.
May 1983: The newly elected Labor government puts out the first
tenders soliciting proposals for the Collins-class submarine.
3 June 1987: A $5bn contract is signed to build six Collins-class submarines. Each submarine is to be built in six sections with Australian companies contributing 60% of the work.
29 June 1987: The Australian Submarine Corporation site in Osborne, Adelaide is selected as the facility to build the new submarines. The site is opened by Australia’s then prime minister Bob Hawke on November 1989.
February 1990: Work on HMAS Collins begins. Named after V-Adm Sir John Collins, the Collins class is a Type 471 diesel-electric submarine designed by Swedish shipbuilders Kockums.