One of Australia’s leading businessmen has promised to donate one million dollars to charity if the government’s controversial submarine project gets started on time.

The $80-billion plan was announced in 2016 by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in a bid to save South Australian manufacturing jobs.

The French shipbuilding company who won the contract initially promised 90 per cent of the 12 new submarines would be built in Australia but has now revealed it could be less than 50 per cent.

The head of the company claims construction will start in 2022 with the first submarine to be delivered in 2032.

Prominent Australian businessman Gary Johnston has been campaigning against the obsolete submarines since the beginning and says the truth is starting to be revealed.

He’s so confident the project is a dud, he’s promised to donate a huge sum of money if it gets started on time.

“I make a promise to your listeners; if any serious construction starts in 2022 I will donate a million dollars to a charity that you can nominate.

“It’s not going to happen! They’re just talking rubbish. They are just misleading everybody. Of course we should cancel the project.”

Alan Jones says the plan is “woeful, disgraceful and wasteful” and says Malcolm Turnbull only announced it to win votes in South Australia.

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