Australia and France will look to sign the final contract for the construction of the navy's 12 new submarines "sooner rather than later" but won't be rushed, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne says.
Negotiations in regard to the strategic partnering agreement remained on track and both governments had not set a particular deadline to have the contract finalised, Mr Pyne said.
"It's extremely important that it covers all aspects of the project and that both sides are comfortable with signing it," the minister told reporters in Adelaide on Monday.
"It doesn't really matter how long it takes to negotiate it, it has to be right when it's signed.
"Obviously, both France and Australia would like it to be signed sooner rather than later but I'm comfortable with where it's at."
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The minister's comments were at odds to recent reports that Australian and French officials were at loggerheads over contractual issues including warranty periods, the use of the existing Collins-class submarine workforce and any implications from a possible sale of the French-owned Naval Group which won the bid for the $50 billion project.
But Mr Pyne's remarks were backed French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly who said all steps taken so far had been completed successfully, including the location of 40 Australian engineers in France, and the French government agreed there was "no particular deadline".
Their comments came as they opened a joint Australia-France defence industry symposium which the ministers said would reinforce defence ties between the two countries.
Mr Pyne also said he had not seen a media report which suggested the full cost of the submarine project, including maintenance over the life of the vessels, could run to more than $200 billion.
He said the construction contract was worth $50 billion, including the combat system, with about another $50 million likely to be spent on sustainment and maintenance.
"Over many, many decades I can't tell you what the final numbers are going to be. I think anyone who claims that they can is fanciful.," the minister said.
