The nuclear boats will be a very satisfactory deterrent to any aggressor wanting to try an intimidate Australia or allies with nuclear weapons as well as effective in a conventional regional war. IMO it is likely they will be as quiet as the newest technology, able to roam the Pacific undetected for months without surfacing and equipped to be the ears of an AEGIS battle group if threatened by a hostile submarine force. Locating hostile submarines at a distance and relaying the information to other vessels or aircraft to prosecute the attack will make it a formidable asset. And the capacity to strike back at distant land targets anywhere in the region.
While they may be initially armed with conventional weapons, an eye on future conflict might allow different weapons loadouts in the event of an extreme threat to Australia. Unless a hostile power were to be able to locate and destroy the entire fleet in a short time, which would be extremely unlikely, a defensive strike from the subs should give food for thought to any authoritarian dictator who might not otherwise be deterred from military adventurism while trying to build an empire.
An excellent and necessary move in response to recent threats to peace in the region and to ensure the security of Australia. And it renders the cyber hacking of the French designs useless.
