Budget issues? No big deal. Just take the entire budget for air operations, set fire to it and throw it off the back of the ship.
$32K per flying hour for the F-35A will be dwarfed by the bill for the B. Not to mention $140 million per jet in average procurement unit cost (at full rate, if everything goes to plan).
On the other hand, if the Australians can figure out a practical scenario where you need a (just about) supersonic and (somewhat) stealthy fighter, on a ship with no tanker, AEW or EA support, then good on yer cobber, because the Marines have yet to articulate such a thing.