Re: compelling argument?
@Yes me.
Really? No, the US don't really want partners in that way. They want to co-opt other countries to:
1. - Spy on US citizens for them to get around what few, weak protections they still have.
2. - Spy on other nations based on geographic location.
They want everyone else to be an arm of the NSA, helping them to extend their scope. I don't think they really want them to have technological capabilities rivaling that of themselves but instead to be provided with the tools and systems at their (the NSA's) discretion in order to further the NSA's goals.
That's speculation, of course, but if Australia is developing independent capabilities that the NSA does not already have then surely they would consider that dangerous.