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could also be accompanied by a nuclear-powered submarine, but the government can’t be certain.
The flotilla is located around 500km west of Hobart on the border of Australia’s exclusive economic zone.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government doesn’t know if the task group includes a submarine.
“We don’t know whether there is the presence of a submarine, and that, in part, speaks to the nature of submarines,” he told ABC radio on Thursday.
“So, we can’t answer that question definitively, which is precisely why it’s important that Australia has a long-range submarine capability.”
Marles said the government is closely observing the task group.
“What we are doing is an unprecedented level of surveillance in relation to this particular Chinese mission,” he said.
“Much more than what we saw under the former government.”
Australian military officials have confirmed the Chinese ships took part in live-fire drills last week close to the exclusive economic zone.
The exclusive economic zone is a maritime area that extends from 22 to 370km from the Australian coastline, over which Australia has jurisdiction and sovereign rights.
The live-fire exercise follows a , where a fighter jet fired flares in front of a Royal Australian Air Force surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea.
