In your rush to sound relevant yourself @dan1, if it was only about diesel vs nuclear production, Australia could simply have gone back to a stock standard nuclear propulsion system from the French.
In reality, for this reason A, UK and US should have included FR and made it the FRAUKUS alliance rather than cause an unnecessary fracas.
I think dropping France and embracing the UK and US was all about the optics that was perceived would be presented to China.
