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| Japanese Soryu class Submarine |
James Massola, Chris Johnson
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are investigating another leak of unauthorised information about the hotly contested bid to secure the $50 billion contract to build Australia's next-generation submarine.
The AFP confirmed to Fairfax Media on Friday the investigation into the leak - the second in two months on the bid - had started.
In March, an investigation began after an apparent leak to The Australian of sections of the draft Defence white paper. This time, the investigation is looking at a leak to the same newspaper that suggested Japan - which along with Germany and France is bidding to build the subs - was considered by cabinet's National Security Committee to have the weakest bid.
Fairfax Media has been told that the Secretary of the Defence Department, Dennis Richardson, was outraged by the latest leak and personally requested the investigation, but Defence declined to comment by deadline.
In a statement, an AFP spokeswoman said: "The AFP can confirm it has received a referral from the Department of Defence regarding the possible unauthorised release of government information. As the matter is ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment further."
Read the full story at Sydney Morning Herald