Australia announces $15.8m Propel submarine scholarship program

Naval
24 March 2026

Photo: Robert DoughertyThe federal government has launched a $15.8 million initiative called Propel: Australian Submarine Scholarship program to support the development of Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarine workforce.

Propel will offer up to 3,000 scholarships to students studying in priority science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at Australian universities.

Over its three‑year rollout, the program will provide financial support as well as opportunities to learn from some of Australia’s most accomplished scientists and engineers. More than 800 students nationwide are already taking part as members of the inaugural cohort.

Delivered through a partnership between the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), Propel will help grow the highly skilled workforce needed to deliver and sustain Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines, a key capability under the AUKUS partnership.

“AUKUS represents one of the most significant industrial endeavours in our country’s history and the Albanese government continues to invest in young Australians who will make up our future workforce,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles said.

“In order to successfully deliver Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program, we need to ensure we are developing the skills needed to build and sustain them.

“The Propel scholarship program will help to strengthen our future defence workforce – helping to deliver the capabilities that will keep our nation safe and support a future made in Australia.”

I can see a steady flow of people from Barrow to Adelaide - same job but a far more attractive climate

That is what happened when we were building the Collins

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asturias56 (Post 12058921)

I can see a steady flow of people from Barrow to Adelaide - same job but a far more attractive climate

They will need to be highly paid due the disparity in housing prices. Adelaide is suffering supply shortages.

"Both Australia and the UK face significant housing affordability issues, with high percentages of income dedicated to housing. Roughly 28.3% of Australian households and 23.2% of UK households spend over 40% of their disposable income on housing. Private renters in both countries often pay around 20–30% of their income, with many in the UK exceeding 30%."

High Building Activity: Despite the shortage, South Australia is outperforming other states in building approvals, with a 12.6% increase in October 2025 year-on-year, contrasting with a 6.4% drop in approvals nationally.
High Demand/Low Supply:Supply is lagging behind demand, as Adelaide has become the second-least affordable city in Australia, with housing prices at 10.9 times the median income, surpassing Melbourne and Brisbane.

In Barrow the multiple is about 6 times average income.

There is a lot to consider when comparing countries
"Australia offers a warmer climate, higher salaries (20–30% more), and an outdoor-focused lifestyle, while the UK provides stronger historical, cultural, and European travel opportunities. Australia has a higher cost of living (10-25% more) but better work-life balance; the UK excels in public transport and cosmopolitan, dense city life."

List of countries by wealth per adult - Wikipedia
Median wealth per adult
4, Australia USD 247,453
9, United Kingdom USD 151,825

Best Countries for Quality of Life | U.S. News

Australia

#8 in Quality of Life

#5 in Best Countries Overall

United Kingdom

#11 in Quality of Life

#8 in Best Countries Overall

But I would advise anyone named Bruce or Shelia to think twice before emigrating to Australia... 😉

What about Edna or Barry?

They call perth little britain for a reason, lots of brits are emigrating out to aus. Ones I know are all Medicine, education and policing, a nurse I know said one of he recent shifts 25% of the nurses had spent time in the NHS

Quote:

Originally Posted by golder (Post 12059257)

There is a lot to consider when comparing countries
"Australia has a higher cost of living (10-25% more) but better work-life balance; the UK excels in public transport and cosmopolitan, dense city life."

I would disagree with the assertion that Oz has a 10-25% higher cost of living.
Despite having had a Labor Govt for 4 years now and I have of course experienced prices going up, I still can't see our staples (higher expectations than UK - beef/lamb, wine, which are not the standard diets of Brits) being higher. I have not lived in UK for years, but have many friends still living there and travelling to and fro. We don't have the heating/power bills and council rates that are payable in UK. Cars are more expensive here, but running them is cheaper. Depending on areas of course, but I think housing is generally cheaper (except Syd/Melb and GC).

Adelaide houses are roughly 2.5× to 4× more expensive than Barrow. Chat GPT.

My agent asked me to hike the rent again this year in Adelaide- 15%. My PPI in ADL has fast eclipsed the value of my Melbourne property. I used it as collateral 15 years ago and it was 40% less than the Adelaide place.

Should have built the subs in Melbourne. 😄

"Adelaide and Barrow-in-Furness offer vastly different liveability experiences, with Adelaide functioning as a major international capital city and Barrow-in-Furness serving as a specialized, industrial town with high affordability.
Adelaide, Australia is frequently ranked among the top 10 most liveable cities in the world (ranked 9th in 2025 by the Economist Intelligence Unit), excelling in healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Barrow-in-Furness, UK is recognized as one of the cheapest areas to live in the UK, driven by strong local industry (defense/energy) but generally offers a lower-key, more "run-down" working-class atmosphere with less to do, according to community sentiment

Adelaide Liveability

Strengths: Ranked 9th globally in 2025 with perfect scores (100/100) in healthcare and education. It is often considered a "30-minute city" with easy access to beaches and hills.
Challenges: The city is facing challenges related to housing affordability as its popularity grows.
Vibe: A sophisticated yet relaxed lifestyle, known for festivals, wine regions, and a high quality of life.

Barrow-in-Furness Liveability

Strengths: In 2025, it was named the most affordable place to live in the UK, making it ideal for entering the property market. The economy is booming due to major defense contracts.
Challenges: It is described as a typical working-class town with limited amenities compared to a city, and some areas are considered "run-down".
Vibe: A close-knit community with easy access to nature, particularly the Lake District National Park.

Summary

Choose Adelaide for a high-quality, international city lifestyle with superior services.
Choose Barrow-in-Furness for extremely high affordability, a high-paying specialized job, and a quiet, community-focused lifestyle near the Lake District.

Quote:

Originally Posted by golder (Post 12059589)

Strengths: Ranked 9th globally in 2025 with perfect scores (100/100) in healthcare and education. It is often considered a "30-minute city" with easy access to beaches and hills.
Challenges: The city is facing challenges related to housing affordability as its popularity grows.
Vibe: A sophisticated yet relaxed lifestyle, known for festivals, wine regions, and a high quality of life.

Barrow-in-Furness Liveability

Strengths: In 2025, it was named the most affordable place to live in the UK, making it ideal for entering the property market. The economy is booming due to major defense contracts.
Challenges: It is described as a typical working-class town with limited amenities compared to a city, and some areas are considered "run-down".
Vibe: A close-knit community with easy access to nature, particularly the Lake District National Park.

Summary

Choose Adelaide for a high-quality, international city lifestyle with superior services.
Choose Barrow-in-Furness for extremely high affordability, a high-paying specialized job, and a quiet, community-focused lifestyle near the Lake District.

Adelaide is also close to the Barossa, subject of one of the best adverts of recent times:

Barrow-in-Furness is close to the Lake District, which is also beautiful. Wastwater is stunning.

To be fair Barrow is near to everywhere in the UK compared to Adelaide in AU, the difference in scale between the distances is immense.

For example, the nearest city to Adelaide is Melbourne which is 725km. The distance from Barrow to London, let alone anywhere inbetween is just 350Km. From Adelaide to Perth is 2100Km. That’s the distance between Barrow and Rome.

Adelaide has to be a metropolis containing a bit of everything, Barrow does not.

Though if I had my time over and had to chose….. it would be Adelaide.

It's a big place
"UK fits into Australia approximately 31 times.
England can fit into the state of South Australia roughly 8 times. South Australia is about 4 times larger than the entire United Kingdom.
With Australia spanning roughly 7.69 million square kilometers compared to England's 130,279 square kilometers, the landmass is vast—even the individual Australian state of Queensland is over 7 times larger than the entire United Kingdom,"

AI compares it to one of our regional towns
"Barrow-in-Furness, a UK town defined by blue-collar shipbuilding and heavy industry, shares socioeconomic similarities with industrial regional centers in South Australia, such as Whyalla. Both areas are heavily reliant on manufacturing, face challenges with economic diversification, and hold a strong working-class identity."

KIWI A-4K Kahu pilots - especially when flying east to west from Nowra to Perth - described Oz landscape as the GAFA - Great Australian Fck All - plenty of desert for many Saharas & Mirages.

You've seen one salt bush, you've seen them all

"The Nullarbor Plain is famously described as a vast, 1,200 km (745-mile) stretch of "nothingness" connecting Norseman in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. It is defined by its extreme isolation, with the name itself derived from the Latin nulla (no) and arbor (tree)"

Update on South Korean progress on their SSN plans.

ISW: https://understandingwar.org/researc...-april-7-2026/

Quote:

South Korea is pre-emptively addressing potential nonproliferation concerns stemming from its plans to build a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN).

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) plans to invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to Seoul to discuss the IAEA verification procedures required for the construction of SSNs.

US President Donald Trump approved South Korea’s plan to build SSNs during his October 29 summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. A November 13 US-South Korea joint factsheet indicated that Washington would work with Seoul to achieve construction requirements, including exploring “avenues to source fuel.”

SSNs use nuclear reactors fueled by enriched uranium, enabling extended endurance without refueling for 30 to 40 years. South Korea’s diesel-electric submarines must surface to charge their batteries every 20 days, however.

US and UK SSNs use highly enriched uranium (HEU), and Australia is acquiring United States-designed HEU-powered SSNs under AUKUS. HEU of over 60 percent concentration is used to make nuclear weapons. Australia’s program has therefore involved IAEA safeguards.

South Korea has not yet determined the source of its fuel supply or whether its SSNs will use HEU or low-enriched uranium (LEU). LEU is not sufficiently enriched to be used for nuclear weapons, so using LEU may help to alleviate some proliferation concerns. South Korea would still require IAEA verification to produce the SSNs regardless of whether it chooses HEU or LEU.

Trump suggested in October 2025 that the submarines could be built at the United States-based Hanwha Philly Shipyard. South Korean National Security Council Advisor Wi Sung-lac said in November 2025 that the submarines would be built domestically, however.

South Korea currently relies on US nuclear technology and fuel to operate its commercial nuclear energy reactors under the “123 agreement,” which restricts South Korea’s use of transferred nuclear material for any military purpose. The United States would have to revise Article 13 of the 123 agreement to supply fuel for South Korean SSNs.

The US Congress would not have to approve this revision, but the revision must undergo a 90-day congressional review period before taking effect. Several US senators raised concerns regarding South Korean nuclear proliferation in a January 30 letter to Trump.

South Korea is likely pursuing SSNs due to perceived capability gaps in countering North Korea’s submarine-based nuclear threat. The Lee administration is also advancing the transition of wartime operational control, which prepares Seoul to acquire independent defense capabilities.

Lee has argued that South Korea’s diesel-electric submarines lack the endurance to track North Korean and People’s Republic of China (PRC) submarines, aligning with broader US efforts to encourage allied burden-sharing in the Indo-Pacific.

North Korea denounced South Korea’s SSN development plan in a state media commentary in November 2025, accusing South Korea of pursuing “independent nuclear armaments,” and triggering “a regional nuclear domino effect.” The PRC has not formally protested the initiative.

The PRC opposed AUKUS’s nuclear submarine cooperation and may respond with economic retaliation—as it did following South Korea’s 2017 deployment of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system—to deter Seoul from pursuing the program.